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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



HEART AND SOTJL 



HEAET and SOUL 



BY 

MAVERIC POST 




NEW YORK 

THE CENTURY CO. 

1921 




if* 1 



tfl. 



Copyright, 1921, by 
The Century Co. 



SEP 22 1921 



§>CI.A622893 



APOLOGY 

This book was not written with any idea of 
being published, but simply because I could not 
help it. 

I got thinking about various things, in the lives 
of people about me, and in my own life, and, after 
a while, I found that my thoughts would not let 
me alone. They kept coming back, to trouble and 
haunt me, until finally I realized that the only 
way I could be rid of them and have a little peace, 
was to set them down on paper. 

After that, I had the indiscretion to read parts 
of them to one or two who are near to me. These 
seemed to think that they might prove helpful to 
others who felt the same way and urged me to 
publish them. 

I cannot be blamed very much for conceiving a 
hope that this might prove true. And, in that 
hope, I have followed their advice. 

M. P. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I Diagnosis 3 

II The Up-to-Date Principle .... 43 

III Reason and Experience 59 

IV Affection 83 

V Faith 109 

VI Science and the Intellect 167 

VII Hope 221 

VIII Heart and Soul 234 

Appendix 317 



c 



HEART AND SOUL 



HEART AND SOUL 



DIAGNOSIS 

MANY of us, to-day, are disturbed and 
alarmed by the point of view and the be- 
havior of people about us — especially the younger 
generation. Girls of good family are seen on all 
sides, who smoke and gamble and drink and paint 
their faces and laugh with scorn at the traditions 
and conventions which their grand-parents re- 
garded with almost sacred reverence. The young 
men are worse, if anything, and as for the married 
people of the new era, what they are doing to the 
sanctity of the home and the bonds of matrimony 
might seem like a weird travesty of the teachings 
of the past. 

What is the world coming to ? Are things going 
on indefinitely, this way, — or more so? If not, 
who, or what, is to stop the movement and turn it 
in another direction? What is the meaning of it 
all? What is to be done about it? 

3 



HEAET AND SOUL 

Before attempting to speculate on these ques- 
tions, it might be a good idea to consider for a 
moment the main, fundamental influences which 
have always been at work, to a greater or less 
extent, in determining the conduct of human 
beings. 

First come the material instincts. Each indi- 
vidual is born with a large number of desires, ap- 
petites, feelings, impulses, tastes. There is also 
a natural wish to gratify these and the process of 
doing so brings with it a sense of satisfaction and 
pleasure. So that if these natural instincts were 
the only things to be considered, the problem of 
humanity in a general way would resolve itself 
into preserving life and getting as much pleasure 
out of it as possible.. Why not follow the lead 
of our instincts, accept all opportunities as they 
come, and make the most of them? 

Is not this point of view, however briefly and 
crudely expressed, the first principle of existence 
as it confronts each individual to-day, as it has 
confronted them in the past, and as it will con- 
tinue to confront them always? 

Is it not, in its essence, the starting point — the 
ever-present raw material — which must be recog- 
nized and dealt with somehow in any scheme of 
philosophy or morality? 

The next consideration, which follows closely 

4 



DIAGNOSIS 

after, is that certain wishes cannot be gratified, 
certain pleasures are forbidden, certain instincts 
must be repressed or controlled. 

Why? 

For various reasons. The first being force and 
might. Some one stronger interferes and pre- 
vents. 

Every child comes in contact with this prin- 
ciple at an early stage. It cannot have what it 
wants, it cannot do as it wills — because the nurse 
or the mother says "no." 

A little later, if it undertakes to gratify a cer- 
tain wish which has been forbidden, if it gives 
free play to an instinct for pleasure, against 
orders, it is slapped and scolded. It is made to 
feel that it has done wrong. And when one does 
wrong, punishment follows — one must learn to ex- 
pect that. 

This same principle confronts the individual 
in later years, — all through life. First the nurse 
and mother; then the father and other members 
of the family; then the neighbors and people at 
large; the police and the laws. All these embody 
the same principle, they represent greater force, 
without the individual, which interferes with its 
instincts, its pleasures, its wishes, which forbids 
certain things — declares they are wrong — and 
punishes, if they are done. 

5 



HEAET AND SOUL 

On top of this comes the church and religion. 
In a more exalted way, appealing to the imagina- 
tion and the inner spirit, they nevertheless apply 
the same principle. Certain things are sinful and 
wicked, certain instincts and desires are tempta- 
tions, contrived by an evil spirit. If temptations 
are yielded to, if evil is committed, punishment 
is sure to follow, if not in this world, then in 
another, a world beyond. 

In this connection, it is not a question of any 
particular church, or creed, or any particular re- 
ligion, but simply of the fundamental idea of all 
churches and all religions, — the idea that some- 
where, somehow, in a spiritual world of some sort, 
good will be rewarded and evil punished. 

Crudely and briefly stated, it is the same funda- 
mental principle that begins with the child and 
nursemaid, and runs up through the highest 
forms of church and religious appeal. This is 
good, you are allowed and urged to do it, and it 
will bring reward; that is bad, you are com- 
manded to resist it, and if you yield, it will bring 
punishment. 

This, then, is what we have called the second 
consideration in the problem of life. 

There is another consideration, of a different 
order, which exerts an influence on the acts of 
an individual; which causes it to repress certain 

6 



DIAGNOSIS 

appetites and desires, on the one hand, and urges 
it, on the other hand, to do certain things against 
its instincts and inclination. 

This third consideration is the influence of rea- 
son and experience. 

A crude example will suffice to illustrate the 
principle. A certain individual eats a plate of 
sliced cucumbers. Their taste is delicious and 
the sensation most enjoyable. An acute indiges- 
tion follows, however, with great discomfort and 
distress. On a later occasion, another plate of 
fresh cucumbers is so tempting that the experi- 
ment is tried again, with the same results. 

Before long, this individual will refuse to eat a 
cucumber, no matter how fresh and tempting it 
looks. There is no question of right or wrong 
here involved. There is no outside force or com- 
mand, to restrain him. It is his own reason, based 
on experience, which determines him to give up 
a present pleasure for the sake of avoiding a 
future pain. 

In a reverse way, a certain individual who is 
tired and sleepy and yearns to go to bed, will 
force himself to sit up and work over annoying 
papers, in order to be free for a game of golf, 
the following day. He deliberately denies his de- 
sires and accepts present discomfort for the sake 
of future enjoyment. 

7 



HEART AND SOUL 

This principle, if we look into it carefully and 
follow it through its ramifications and side lights, 
is an active and important factor in the conduct 
of nearly everybody. In its essence, it is personal, 
its force springs from within the individual — and 
in that respect, at least, it is quite different from 
the orders of parents, or the commandments of 
religion, which are issued from without and which 
the individual is called upon to accept and obey, 
irrespective of his own notions or preferences. 

There is still another main consideration in this 
question of conduct. It is a very great factor in 
the lives of many people, and in some cases its 
force and influence are overwhelming. And it is 
totally different in its very essence and tendency 
from the other principles we have noted. 

This is the influence of love and affection. 

A mother will give up any pleasure, she will 
accept any pain for the sake of her sick child. She 
does not do it because any one has ordered her, 
or because of any commandment of any religion, 
or because of any reward or punishment in this 
world, or another. There is no selfish motive of 
any kind involved in her thought. Any sacrifice 
of self, she is ready to make without the slightest 
hesitation. What she does, and what she is 
willing to do is for her child alone — because she 
loves it and, for the time being, its little life seems 

8 



DIAGNOSIS 

of more importance than everything else in the 
world put together. 

Now, if we pause right here a moment and re- 
flect, we can hardly fail to realize that we are in 
the presence of something strange and wonder- 
ful. It appears to be the very contrary and con- 
tradiction of all that has gone before. The life of 
the individual, as it unfolds from the first prin- 
ciple, is a question of self-preservation, self- 
gratification, appetites, desires, pleasures, as full 
a measure of enjoyment as it is possible to ob- 
tain. This is interfered with by outside force and 
considerations of reason and experience; certain 
desires have to be controlled by the idea of good 
and bad, reward and punishment; certain pleas- 
ures and pains have to be balanced against each 
other to determine a choice. But from beginning 
to end, it is all concerned in considerations of ad- 
vantage — what is best for self, at the time being, 
or in the long run — in this world or the next. Why 
do this, that, or the other? because you will gain 
most by it, in the end. At bottom, the motive is 
taken for granted, whether openly admitted or 
more or less thinly disguised — self, self-interest, 
selfishness. 

Then we turn and look upon a mother and her 
child — and we find that all thought of personal 
advantage can be transferred to another. Self- 

9 



HEABT AND SOUL 

interest can be controlled and obliterated by a 
new and mysterious principle — the principle of 
love. 

There are various kinds and degrees of feeling 
tha,t go under the name of love and nothing in 
life is more interesting or more vitally important 
to study and understand. But in this preliminary 
summary it is enough to signal its existence as 
one of the factors in the problem of life. 

It may be just as well to note, in passing, that 
mothers are to be found whose love for their chil- 
dren is not so completely unselfish. Mothers are 
to be found who care very little about their chil- 
dren. Mothers are to be found who regard chil- 
dren as a nuisance and a disadvantage and prefer 
to be without them. That will be found to be one 
of the curious side-lights of the problem when 
time comes to discuss it. 

It does not alter the fact, however, that love 
exists, that the true mother's love of her child is 
the most complete and universal illustration of 
it. 

Also in many other forms of love and affection, 
it is easy to recognize this same tendency toward 
unselfishness — a readiness to sacrifice one's per- 
sonal pleasures and inclinations for the joy of 
another. A father may have this feeling for his 
son, or his brother, just as he may have it for his 

10 



DIAGNOSIS 

wife, or his mother. A man, or a woman, may have 
it for a dear and intimate friend, and be willing 
to make real sacrifices in order to benefit them. 

This, then, is the fonrth consideration — a 
fourth factor in the problem of life — and to avoid 
misunderstanding and confusion of ideas, we will 
call it affection — the influence of affection. 

There remains one more consideration — one 
further class and kind of influence — which has its 
bearing on conduct. This may be summed up, in 
a general way, as love of an ideal, or an idea. Al- 
though it is less wide-spread and less potent in 
most lives than affection for fellow beings, yet 
it is, in varying degrees, a real factor that cannot 
be left out. 

A sense of duty exists, to greater or less ex- 
tent, in nearly all people. In people of breeding 
and good family it may become pride of race — 
noblesse oblige. A certain individual may have 
a strong affection for his home town, the little 
community with which he has been identified as a 
boy and man. Another is devoted to a cause, a 
political party, a Eed Cross movement; while 
others have a strong feeling of patriotism, they 
love their country, their flag, and they are ready, 
at any time, to give up something for the good 
cause. 

Broadly speaking, and for lack of a better 

11 



HEART AND SOUL 

name, we may call this fifth principle in the prob- 
lem of life — devotion to an ideal. 

As a result of these influences, the character of 
an individual is formed, his conduct is determined. 
At any given time, in the presence of any given 
question as to what he will, or will not do, the 
answer will depend on the relative force, or sway, 
of the conflicting considerations. 

This is merely stating an application of a gen- 
eral law — that all effects must have their causes. 
Only in the conduct of an individual, the causes 
at work are often very subtle and complicated. 

If the average individual at the present time 
is behaving differently from the way he used to 
act, it is obviously because of some change in 
the influences. Certain motives and considerations 
which used to be decisive have now ceased to dom- 
inate. Other considerations have superseded 
them. So much is fairly obvious, and very little 
reflection is needed to locate these in a general 
way. They lie in the second group of our sum- 
mary — the control of desires from without, en- 
forced by rewards and punishments. 

In the life of the average individual, this in- 
fluence has become weaker all along the line. 
It is probably less dominating and decisive to- 
day, than it has ever been before in any period 
of civilization, ancient or modern. And the 

12 



DIAGNOSIS 

weakening of the influence begins in the earliest 
childhood, with the punishments of nurse and par- 
ents and extends right on to the end, through 
neighbors and public opinion, the police and the 
laws, and finally to the church and religion, with 
their everlasting retribution, heaven and hell. 

There has been no great apparent change in 
the other considerations of our summary. People 
are still influenced by experience and reason, as 
heretofore. They still are moved by their affec- 
tions; and there are the same class of people 
who will fight for their country and make sacri- 
fices for an ideal. 

It may be that the change of character which 
results from the weakening influences under our 
second heading, has an appreciable effect on the 
force of other influences, also. But that is a deli- 
cate and subtle subject, which will be discussed 
later on. 

For the time being, we may stop at this point: 
that the startling changes which have occurred 
recently in moral standards and point-of-view 
are directly traceable to a corresponding weak- 
ening of an influence that has been one of the 
strongest in human lives. 

The nature and extent of this process are worth 
considering in detail, because it is at the very root 

13 



HEABT AND SOUL 

of the problem and the consequences are far- 
reaching. 

And before we begin to analyze it, let us be 
careful to avoid a hasty and easy conclusion. Be- 
cause the changes in people's views and behavior 
seem startling and alarming to those of the old 
school — that does not necessarily mean that the 
new tendency is bad and wrong. Any change in 
fundamentals is apt to be upsetting, for the time 
being. The new way, in the end, may really be 
better than the old, and represent progress. Or 
it may mean deterioration and decline. It will 
be time enough to discuss that phase of the ques- 
tion, after we have made sure that we thoroughly 
understand what it is, that has been going on. 

Let us take one thing at a time and start with 
the simplest and most obvious. 

A human life begins, with possibilities of de- 
velopment in all sorts of different directions. The 
child is taken care of from the cradle — guided, 
educated. In due time, it reaches an age where 
it is left to decide for itself and its actions are de- 
termined by its nature and what it has been 
taught. 

"As the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." This 
is an old adage of the English language and the 
principle it expresses has been generally accepted 
throughout the world. " Spare the rod and spoil 

14 



DIAGNOSIS 

the child' ' — is another old adage which has 
been almost as universally accepted. Still an- 
other adage, expresses a fundamental principle: 
"Children should be seen, not heard.' ' 

These adages are sufficient to indicate the basic 
theory that governed the bringing up of children 
for countless generations. What do they imply! 

Obedience, discipline, respect — respect for par- 
ents, respect for others, respect for traditions 
and laws — and with it a reverence and fear of 
God. The aim was to turn out law-abiding, God- 
fearing citizens ; and the method, as expressed in 
the adages, was unquestioned for centuries and 
generally adhered to. 

It has always been usual and natural among 
various peoples at various times, to inculcate in 
children from an early age those qualities which 
are considered worthy and admirable. 

Among the American Indians, a true brave was 
he who presented an unflinching countenance to 
the enemy, even in torture. Consequently, boy 
children were pricked and burned by their par- 
ents, until they were schooled to accept any kind of 
pain without a whimper. 

In China, tiny feet were considered desirable 
in a woman — so girl children's feet were tightly 
bound and kept so, for long periods, with great 
suffering, in order to attain the worthy object. 

15 



HEAET AND SOUL 

In these and similar cases in European civiliza- 
tion, the stern methods employed cannot be taken 
to mean that parents loved their children any the 
less — rather the contrary. Because they loved 
them, they did not hesitate to do what was neces- 
sary, according to their lights, to make them grow 
up as fine specimens as possible. 

That was the old school. What, now, of the 
new? 

It is obvious that, in recent years, there has 
been a vast change in the attitude of parents 
toward children, and perhaps an even greater 
change in the attitude of children toward parents. 

The rod is used very sparingly, nowadays. In 
America, at least, it may be said to be no longer 
used at all. Among families of education and re- 
finement, a child may still be spanked by the 
mother or father, but not very often. The sig- 
nificance of the proceeding is not very great, and 
half the time the spanking is occasioned by the ir- 
ritable nervous condition of the parent rather than 
the act of the child. 

A child may sometimes be slapped by a nurse, 
usually when the nurse is cross and ill-humored. 
But in nearly all cases, if a nurse dared to whip 
a child, or cause it real pain, the child would only 
have to tell its parents and the nurse would be 
discharged. 

16 



DIAGNOSIS 

And such trifling chastisements as do occur to- 
day, are confined to a very early age of the child. 
A boy or girl of twelve or fifteen has no fear of 
a beating from father, or mother, or governess, or 
school-teacher. School-masters are no longer al- 
lowed to whip their pupils, or even to cuff them. 

The old adage is no longer in force — it has been 
thrown into the discard. "Spare the rod — " yes, 
the rod is spared, but it remains to be seen 
whether on that account the child is necessarily 
spoiled. 

"Children should be seen, not heard " — that 
idea, is also in the discard. Boys and girls have 
as much right to their say as anybody else. At 
the family table, in the home circle, the tendency 
is rather for their ideas and their affairs to usurp 
the conversation. Their impressions are fresher 
and more animated, and they are more abreast of 
the latest up-to-date topics. An attitude of re- 
spect and reverence for the opinions and notions 
of their parents, or grand-parents, would hardly 
be expected of them. So many of the things to 
be talked about — motors, wireless, airplanes, new 
wrinkles and changed conditions — are better un- 
derstood by them than the old people. It is easy 
for them to get the feeling that the old people's 
ideas are rather moth-eaten and of not much ac- 
count. It is for the rising generation to tell and 

17 



HEAET AND SOUL 

explain what's doing now and for the setting gen- 
eration to listen and make the most of it. 

Of course, this is not meant to imply that chil- 
dren have ceased to have any respect for their 
parents. In any particular case, it is a question 
of degree, depending upon the quality of the chil- 
dren, the quality of the parents, the various con- 
ditions and influences of the family life. It is 
the general tendency we are looking for — the un- 
derlying principle — which makes itself felt to a 
greater or less extent, according to circumstances. 

It is unquestionably true that the average child 
to-day is less often and less severely punished 
than the child of the past. If it disobeys, it has 
less fear of the consequences, so the importance of 
obedience becomes a dwindling factor in its men- 
tal attitude and its behavior. 

It learns to take orders with a grain of salt 
and as often as may be, it disregards them, be- 
cause they are not what it likes. That is the 
beginning of a tendency — the first bending of a 
twig. 

As the twig goes on growing with this slant, 
and the horizon of the boy and girl opens out be- 
yond the family circle to a larger world, existing 
conditions are such as to encourage a continuation 
of the same tendency. The selfish instincts and 
desires of the individual are opposed by the same 

18 



DIAGNOSIS 

kind of influences and restraints that have been in 
force since the beginning of civilization, but less 
effectively. And let us bear clearly in mind that, 
for the time being, we are confining our attention 
to the forces which act on the individual from 
without. That is the thread we are following — 
the second consideration in our summary. 

The influences and restraints which act on the 
boy or girl, as they go forth from the home circle, 
are of various forms and kinds, but they may be 
grouped in a few simple classes. 

First: The school with its teachers and teach- 
ings. 

Second: The influence of example and imita- 
tion — what others of their age and kind are doing. 

Third: The influence of public opinion, of 
tradition and customs — what everybody seems to 
think is all right and approves, on the one hand, 
and what is considered wrong and unworthy, on 
the other. 

Fourth: Laws and regulations of constituted 
authorities. 

Fifth: Sunday school and church — the religi- 
ous influence with its standards of wickedness 
and goodness. 

If we consider these in order, we are not im- 
pressed by any striking change in the school in- 
fluence. In many respects, no doubt, schools are 

19 



HEART AND SOUL 

better planned and more intelligently managed 
than they ever were before. More attention is 
paid to ventilation, hygiene, recreation, on the 
one hand ; and on the other the methods employed 
in imparting book knowledge are probably more 
enlightened. 

As regards the question we are discussing 
— obedience, discipline, respect for authority — on 
the whole, there has probably been no great 
change. In the class-room and throughout the 
school regime, strict obedience is still maintained 
as an essential requisite, just as it has always 
been. The punishments and penalties for dis- 
obedience are perhaps a little less severe and 
drastic, but without any real difference in effect. 

The only question worth raising in this connec- 
tion is how far school-teachers and school-rules 
are taken to heart by the average boy or girl — 
how far they are made to apply to their notions 
and motives, when school is left behind. School- 
books, school-teachers and school-discipline are so 
apt to be bunched together and relegated to a 
special corner of the mind. 

Our second group — the influence of example 
and imitation — has probably always been a more 
important factor in shaping conduct and char- 
acter. What the older boys, just above you, do 

20 " 



DIAGNOSIS 

and believe, makes a lot of difference to you, if 
you are a boy. 

It is no question here of old-fashioned precepts 
or theories, handed down by parents, grand- 
mothers or school-teachers, to be taken with a 
grain of salt. It is something living and vital, 
which concerns you directly. You look up to the 
older boys: you want to be like them; and ap- 
proved of by them. What they think and do may 
be at variance with the ideas of nurse, mother and 
school-master, but if it is good enough for them, 
it is good enough for you. It is a practical stand- 
ard which you can't help being judged by. If 
you fail to live up to it, or refuse to accept it 
and try to act differently, there is a sure penalty. 
You will be sneered at, disliked, looked down upon, 
or laughed at. 

If you are a girl, the same principle applies. 
There is nothing new about the principle. It is 
as old as the hills and universal. 

Is the effect of it to-day on the forming char- 
acter any different from what it has been, in the 
past? Undoubtedly. A moment's reflection will 
show why and how this must be so. 

Whatever the nature and influence of the family 
bringing-up may have been, in any particular case, 
the general tendency toward lack of discipline and 
disregard for authority can hardly fail to be re- 

21 



HEAET AND SOUL 

fleeted in the prevailing standards of the boys and 
girls to be found at any school. They have no con- 
nection with school regulations or school penal- 
ties. It is the fundamental question of instincts, 
desires, and notions — the attitude toward them- 
selves and toward life outside the school-room 
which they are going to take with them where- 
ever they go. 

The tendency begun at home finds reinforce- 
ment and further development in the boy or girl 
by example and contact with others, who are 
headed the same way. 

Next comes the third group: The influence of 
public opinion — of tradition and customs. 

There is no mistaking the fact that in the pres- 
ent generation there have been many striking 
changes in the prevailing customs, as they apply 
to the behavior and conduct of individuals. The 
growing boys and girls see these changes taking 
place on every hand. 

When mother and father were young, Sunday 
was a day set aside for church- going and dull 
and decorous behavior. Games and fun of all 
kinds were laid away, everybody put on their best 
clothes and sat around and talked, or took quiet 
walks with an overhanging air of seemly pro- 
priety. To-day there are tennis and golf and 
baseball games and dinner-parties and gambling 

22 



DIAGNOSIS 

at the bridge-table, in which mother and father 
participate along with the rest. 

It nsed to be considered improper for a girl of 
good family to go out at night to any kind of 
party without being accompanied by a chaperon. 
Nowadays, the girl who is obliged to take a 
chaperon with her wherever she goes, is liable to 
be laughed at by her up-to-date friends. 

It was not so long ago that in any respectable 
community, a woman who painted her face, smoked 
cigarettes, drank cocktails and gambled with the 
men, would have been considered a shocking 
spectacle of depravity that no self-respecting wife, 
or mother, could accept or tolerate. 

Nowadays, the growing boy and girl have only 
to open their eyes to see women doing such things 
everywhere- — as likely as not their aunts and 
cousins, or their own mothers. 

Examples of this nature could be given in great 
variety, but enough has been suggested to show 
the trend. In another connection it will be inter- 
esting to discuss these manifestations in greater 
detail and reflect on their cause and meaning. 

For the present, it is sufficent to indicate that 
the social customs have changed and are chang- 
ing very materially. Under such conditions, it 
would not be natural for young people to be un- 
duly impressed by them. Such standards are so 

23 



HEAET AND SOUL 

unstable and they differ so much to-day from what 
they were yesterday, and they differ so much in 
different circles and even in different families, 
that their force and importance are not very com- 
pelling. The authority of past customs has un- 
dergone a process of confusion and weakening, 
much the same as parental authority. There is 
less respect for it on the part of the new genera- 
tion. 

The same thing is true of traditions and public 
opinion. Traditions have been modified and lost 
sight of in the new movement, and public opinion 
on many questions is to-day so confused and in- 
definite as hardly to exist. 

Some people still think that divorce and re-mar- 
riage is shocking. Other people thoroughly ap- 
prove of divorce, and believe that when a mar- 
riage has proved unsatisfactory and objectionable, 
it is right and best to call it off and look for some- 
thing better. 

Some people think it wrong for young people to 
run to the picture-shows and see baby vampires 
and demoralizing examples of licence and mis- 
conduct; others are enthusiastic about the edu- 
cational value of the movies and encourage their 
children to go as often as they like. 

Some people disapprove violently of the way 
young people dance together and of the present 

24 



DIAGNOSIS 

attitude of girls and boys toward one another; 
while others accept it as a part of the new era of 
emancipation and enlightenment which is all in 
the way of progress. 

There is practically no real public opinion to- 
day on these, and many other similar questions. 
A diversity of individual opinions and notions has 
taken its place, which young people are more or 
less free to follow or ignore, as circumstances may 
determine. 

Yet it is not so long ago that public opinion in 
most communities was a firmly established, vital 
force. It was generally recognized and carefully 
respected by anybody, who wished to be con- 
sidered respectable. Certain acts, certains kinds 
of conduct, were considered immoral, or shocking, 
or in bad taste and those who defied public opin- 
ion were made to pay the penalty. They were 
given the cold shoulder, cut off the visiting-list 
and made to feel the stigma of disapproval. 

If a girl sneaked off alone with boys in the 
dark, or was caught smoking cigarettes — if a mar- 
ried man was seen consorting with a divorcee — 
if a woman drank highballs and gambled and 
broke up a happy home — if any member of the 
community did any one of a number of things 
which were considered improper, or unworthy, or 
immoral, or dishonorable, public opinion was 

25 



HEART AND SOUL 

sternly in evidence, unquestioned and unquestion- 
able, to judge and to sentence. 

"Young people learned to take account of this 
consideration, just as their mothers and fathers 
did. They grew up with respect for it. In the 
new generation the thing itself has lost greatly 
in consistency and force, and the young people 
see no reason to be much concerned about it. 

In the fourth group, are included the laws and 
regulations of constituted authorities. For the 
most part these find their chief representative in 
the policeman, with the jail and law-court, as a 
background behind him. About the only change 
in this influence lies in the mental attitude of the 
average individual. 

A generation ago, people who got arrested were 
usually thieves, or drunkards, or crooks and crimi- 
nals of some kind. To be a law-breaker and in 
the clutches of the police was something that a 
reputable citizen shuddered at. The police were 
the guardians of all good people, majestic, re- 
spected and a little awe-inspiring. 

Nowadays, people of all sorts and kinds are 
constantly getting into trouble with the police, 
and getting arrested, and being hauled to court 
and fined before the same bar of justice as the 
crooks and drunkards. It is usually in connection 

26 



DIAGNOSIS 

with automobile driving. They are law-breakers — 
they know it and are canght at it. 

And since the prohibition laws have gone into 
effect, another crop of law-breakers has sprung 
up on every hand. Deliberately and defiantly they 
disregard the law and scoff at it. 

In addition to this matter of the police, there 
is a growing tendency on the part of the average 
person to question the worthiness and integrity 
of officials and representatives of government, all 
along the line. Aldermen, commissioners, mayors 
of cities — even senators of the United States — 
are frequent objects of mistrust, of sneering dis- 
respect. Political scandals and corrupt deals in 
high places are commonplace topics in any com- 
munity. 

So young people, looking about and absorbing 
ideas, under these conditions, are inclined to have 
a lessened respect for constituted authorities and 
the laws. 

Above and beyond this, having a deeper sig- 
nificance and effects that are more intimate and 
constant and far-reaching, is the change which 
has been taking place in the influences of the fifth 
and last group — Sunday school and church — the 
force of religion. 

This is such a delicate subject, so close to the 
hearts of so many people and having so many 

27 



HEABT AND SOUL 

variations and degrees in different individuals, in 
different families, in different communities, in 
different churches, that it is extremely difficult to 
discuss. It is largely a matter of private senti- 
ment, of vague personal feelings for which the 
average person is unable to find adequate ex- 
pression. No sooner is the subject broached than 
the individual mind takes refuge in a defensive 
attitude. As it does not intend to be disturbed in 
its own spiritual attitude and beliefs, it is ready 
to seize the first opportunity to raise objections. 

Let me reassure such minds by saying that I 
am quite willing to agree with them concerning 
the good that is in their minister, or their church, 
or any other church, or religion they may be in- 
terested in. To the best of my knowledge and 
belief, the purpose and influence of all churches 
and all religions has always been in the direction 
of higher thoughts and more exalted motives of 
conduct. This is no less so to-day than it has been 
in the past. 

The change that has occurred is in the attitude 
of the new generation toward the teachings of 
the church and the consequent weakening of its 
influence. 

Not much reflection or observation is required 
to arrive at a general idea of the nature and ex- 
tent of this tendency. 

28 



DIAGNOSIS 

In most Christian homes it has been the custom 
to teach children to say their prayers every night 
before going to bed. And in teaching them to 
pray, the idea has been instilled in their minds 
that the all-wise Lord is listening to them and 
watching over them. Mothers and Fathers have 
accustomed them to the belief that no act of theirs 
— no matter how carefully they may conceal it 
from the human beings about them — can ever 
escape the all-seeing eye of the Lord. 

Children have believed this from time imme- 
morial and the Sunday school and church have 
encouraged and strengthened this belief, at all 
stages of their growth. And along with this, as 
we have observed, went the idea of divine, ever- 
lasting justice and retribution — the punishment 
of evil and the regard of good, if not in this 
world, then surely in the greater world beyond. 
Heaven and hell have for centuries been pictured 
as awe-inspiring realities, established by the Bible, 
expounded and thundered from pulpits. 

Children found, as they grew up, that the idea 
was accepted and shared by mothers, fathers, 
neighbors — everybody in the community entitled 
to respect or consideration. In trouble or sick- 
ness, they turned to the Lord for comfort and help 
and those who yielded to temptation and ignored 

29 



HEAET AND SOUL 

His commandments were in danger of eternal 
damnation. 

When people believe snch a doctrine, when it 
is a living conviction in their hearts and souls, no 
greater influence could be imagined for controll- 
ing their material instincts and desires. We have 
only to refer back to the days of the martyrs and 
saints to realize what the principle is capable of 
when it is fully applied. As compared to eternal 
salvation and everlasting bliss — how petty and 
unimportant are the temporary experiences of the 
body. 

The great mass of normal human beings, while 
accepting and believing the doctrine, have never 
deemed it necessary, or practical, to carry it too 
far. But always in the past, so far as we know, 
the average individual has been influenced to a 
very considerable extent by his religious beliefs. 
The more deeply and intensely he believed in the 
teachings, the greater their influence in controlling 
his acts. 

If we turn to the present generation, we find on 
all sides, evidences of a growing notion that many 
of the statements contained in the Bible will no 
longer hold water, when put to the test of scien- 
tific enlightenment. A minister of the gospel in 
this church, and another in that, announces from 
the pulpit that it is no longer possible for him to 

30 



DIAGNOSIS 

accept the doctrines of hell's fire and eternal 
damnation. Others follow their example and 
preach sermons, accordingly, to justify this stand. 
Next the question of heaven is brought into ques- 
tion by a conscientious divine, who expounds the 
conviction that it should be accepted in an alle- 
gorical meaning, not literally — that instead of 
being a paradise inhabited by the souls of the 
elect, it should be considered rather a state of 
mind of living mortals who behave rightly. 

Heaven and hell, a jealous and all-mighty Be- 
ing, seated on a majestic throne, watching and 
judging each act of mortal man, punishing and 
rewarding, through all eternity — these and many 
other biblical teachings, which for centuries awed 
the imagination and possessed the souls of humble 
men and women, have gradually been brought into 
question. 

Some people are inclined to lay blame for this 
on the churches and the ministers. But that is 
superficial thinking. The causes for the change 
were not within the churches, but outside, and the 
ministers of the gospel, though human beings like 
the rest of us, were among the very last to take 
cognizance of them. 

The doubts and questions and misgivings evi- 
dently began, some time ago, among practical, 
thoughtful minds of scientific training. Certain 

31.x 



HEABT AND SOUL 

statements in the Bible, in the light of modern 
investigation, were found to be inaccurate. If 
parts of it were founded on the ignorance of men 
of more or less primitive instruction, it is easy to 
see where this line of reasoning was bound 
to lead. In addition to the statements of fact, 
many of the ideas and assumptions set forth in 
the Bible seemed crude, narrow, cruel — as primi- 
tive as the lives of those early peoples among 
whom it came into existence. 

The moral code contained in it — the essence of 
its religious significance — was undoubtedly sound 
and eternally true and very possibly inspired from 
on high, but the details, the images, the formal 
conceptions were decidedly antiquated and un- 
impressive to the enlightened spirit of our ad- 
vanced civilization. 

This growing point-of-view began to express 
itself quite noticeably in the past generation, at 
least in America. Thoughtful men, when they 
arrived at it, were inclined to keep it to them- 
selves. They did not care to disturb the simple, 
whole-souled faith of their wives and mothers and 
children. But when these men went to church 
with the family, and had to listen to the literal, 
orthodox expoundings of antiquated dogmas, they 
were apt to feel mildly bored and annoyed. They 
began to beg off from going to church. Then, 

32 



DIAGNOSIS 

little by little, in the various church congrega- 
tions, there was a disquieting falling off in the 
attendance of men-folk. 

Then some of these men began to exchange their 
views quietly with others, who felt the same way. 
Articles were written, here and there, calling cer- 
tain dogmas into question — and women were some- 
times led to take part in the discussions and face 
the conclusions. 

Women, as has been observed from time imme- 
morial, are by nature more conservative than 
men, more inclined to accept existing conventions 
and be governed by traditions. They are also 
more impressionable and the outward forms of 
church service mean more to them. Eeligious 
stimulant can come to them through their feel- 
ings and imagination without greatly involving 
the intellect. The same is true of children. 

So it has happened that while the men ques- 
tioned, lost faith and balked at church-going, the 
women and children kept on dutifully, for the most 
part content to accept things as they had always 
been. 

But the contagion of advanced thought was in 
the air, spreading among progressive men, react- 
ing to a certain extent among women, and it was 
probably not until this had been going on for some 
time that it began to be taken into account by the 

33 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

clergy. Sooner or later it had to be, if the church 
was to preserve any harmony with the thoughts 
of its congregation. 

At the present time, things have reached a point 
where if you ask any of the younger women, of 
average intelligence and education, her senti- 
ments concerning hell's fire and heaven's glories, 
and the jealous on-looking God who demands to 
be worshipped, the chances are she will answer 
with a shrug that those things are no longer 
preached by progressive ministers. She believes 
in the Bible, certainly, and considers herself a 
good Christian, but certain portions of the divine, 
word, certain conceptions of the past, are no 
longer acceptable — they have gone into the dis- 
card. 

And these women, holding such a view, have no 
hesitancy in expressing it in the presence of their 
children, if it so happens that they are old enough 
to be sitting by, listening to the conversation. 

In the light of all this, when we come to con- 
sider the force of religion as a restraining in- 
fluence in the growing lives of the new genera- 
tion, the nature and extent of the changes is fairly 
obvious. 

Let us suppose that to-day the average little 
children still have the beginnings of their religious 
training in much the same way as it has always 

34 



DIAGNOSIS 

been. And a large proportion of them undoubt- 
edly do, because that is one of the family tradi- 
tions which almost any mother would be loath to 
change. 

The children, then, are taught to say their daily 
prayer — they are told that God hears them and 
sees them — that God is all-wise and all-powerful 
— that He loves good people and rewards them, 
while people, who do wrong, anger Him and can- 
not escape His punishment. And this teaching is 
continued and developed in the Sunday school, as 
soon as the children are old enough to go there. 

The child mind absorbs all this, accepts it with 
the same simple faith with which it has accepted 
Santa Claus. 

If we consider the period of early childhood 
carefully, we find that these two beliefs, so to 
speak, go hand in hand — and there is much simi- 
larity between them. Most children are also taught 
about Santa Claus from the earliest days. He 
becomes very real and wonderfully important in 
the child imagination. He, too, has a mysterious 
way of knowing whether people are good or bad ; 
he, too, loves the good ones and rewards them by 
bringing them beautiful presents — and if the bad 
ones are too bad, he is liable to punish them by 
giving them no presents at all. Instead of pray- 
ing to him at night, you can write him letters 

35 



HEABT AND SOUL 

which he has a way of getting from the chimney, 
so that he, too, can understand the innermost 
wishes of yonr heart. 

Sooner or later, however, the time must come 
when the existence of Santa Clans is called into 
doubt. The doubt usually begins with some re- 
mark made by an older boy or girl. But even if 
older boys and girls kept their mouths shut, the 
time would surely come when a growing mind 
would begin puzzling, reasoning, doubting, and 
by putting two and two together, would be forced 
to the conclusion that this pretty idea was only a 
make-believe, a myth, a humbug. A little further 
reflection might tell it that the myth must have 
been invented by some one, long ago, and was kept 
alive and carried on by people, generation after 
generation, on acount of the value and influence it 
was found to have in bringing up children. 

Even after a child has become too wise to be- 
lieve any longer in Santa Clans, when the first 
reaction of feeling fooled and cheated is over, it 
is perfectly willing to go on pretending for the sake 
of little brother and sister, and when it grows up 
and has children of its own, it will go on pretend- 
ing for them. 

In the present generation, what is happening 
in the case of many people with regard to religi- 
ous beliefs, is only one step removed. At a 

36 



DIAGNOSIS 

little later period of development, no doubt, 
but almost as inevitably, the moment arrives when 
the childhood teachings and conceptions begin to 
be called into question. 

Is there really an all-wise Lord, looking on and 
listening when you say your evening prayers? 
How many ears and eyes Hje must have, when so 
many people are doing the same thing at the same 
time — hundreds, thousands, millions — all talking 
to Him at once — in different languages and about 
different things ! 

It was the same way about Santa Claus. How 
could he be bringing so many presents to so many 
people, all over the world, and delivering them 
personally, on the same Christmas eve? It would 
have taken him years to get through with all the 
houses in New York City alone — without thinking 
of London and Paris and all the other places. 

In the past, when such a question came to mind 
and found expression, the answer was compara- 
tively simple and direct. Eeligion is a matter 
of faith, not argument ; the ways of the Lord sur- 
pass the human understanding: the Bible and 
the church are the authority, what they teach and 
ordain is to be accepted and obeyed. To doubt, 
or question, or disbelieve is the beginning of sin, 
and the consequences may be terrible. 

When the individual was trained to the habit of 

37 



HEAET AND SOUL 

obedience — when the attitude of the spirit within 
was one of respect and reverence for established 
authority and established traditions — that was one 
thing. If mothers and fathers and neighbors and 
wiser heads everywhere accepted this great mys- 
tery unqualifiedly, on faith, as the guiding light 
of their lives, was it not enough for their sons and 
daughters to follow their example and do like- 
wise? 

But in the new generation, as we have seen, the 
twig has already been bent in a different direc- 
tion. Before the time comes for the young person 
to be bothered with thoughts about religion, he or 
she has already acquired the notion that the ex- 
ample of mother and father does not need to be 
followed in many things. Some of their ideas and 
traditions have become antiquated and more or 
less ridiculous in the light of the new movement. 
When one begins to make enquiries about this 
question of the Bible, enough has been said and 
heard to indicate that certain of its assumptions, 
at least, will no longer hold water and have been 
discarded by the ministers, themselves. So, say 
many of the new generation, when you come down 
to it, what is there to prove that these religious 
beliefs may not, after all, be only a legend, some- 
thing like the one about Santa Claus, evolved in 
the distant past, kept alive and adhered to, gener- 

38 



DIAGNOSIS 

ation after generation, for the same sort of rea- 
son? 

A far greater number find it more convenient 
to refrain from expressing themselves. They may 
even go to church, occasionally, and they observe 
a superficial deference for the established forms of 
religion. But they are very little concerned in 
the sayings of the Bible, or the sermons of the 
ministers ; they don't ask, or expect, any help from 
the Lord — nor do they live in fear of His punish- 
ment. 

It is not to be inferred that any large propor- 
tion of the new generation have consciously or 
definitely followed out the chain of reasoning 
which we have indicated. Most of them don't 
bother their heads to think very far about such a 
serious subject. Their attitude, on this question, 
as on many others, is apt to be arrived at, in a 
more or less subconscious way. 

If a growing nature has not been schooled to 
obedience ; if it has learned to question and often 
disregard the ideas of its parents and elders and 
has formed the habit of laughing at old-fashioned 
traditions and conventions, there is nothing to 
be wondered at, if, when the time comes, it is pre- 
pared to take a more or less similar view of 
Bible and church. 

That, undoubtedly, is the present tendency. 

39 



HEAET AND SOUL 

Now it is more than likely that such thoughts 
as these seem objectionable to many good Chris- 
tians, because they consider that every well-in- 
tentioned person should strive to uphold the 
church and to refrain from the expression of 
ideas that might tend to unsettle faith. 

Let me assure such people that my intentions 
are really of the best and I am as deeply con- 
cerned as they can be about the influences which 
appear to be undermining the spiritual welfare 
of my fellow beings. 

But for the present, my aim is to look facts in 
the face, and to endeavor, patiently and simply, 
to understand and explain. When we have done 
our best in this direction, it will be time enough 
to hazard opinions and offer suggestions. 

Also, let us bear in mind that in this question 
of religion, as in the other questions we have 
touched upon, it is only a tendency which we 
have been considering — a fairly general tendency, 
to be sure, but still only a tendency. In some 
communities, in some families, in some sects, it 
may be hardly noticeable. 

At the moment I write these lines, the news- 
papers are full of a new movement undertaken 
by leading church societies of various denomina- 
tions to have laws enacted, enforcing the observ- 

40 



DIAGNOSIS 

ance of the Sabbath. They aim to bring about 
by this means, a, return to the habits of church- 
going and Bible reading, as they were in the days 
of our forefathers. The very existence of such 
a movement is sufficient evidence of the tendency 
they seek to combat. Whether any law could 
be counted on to accomplish their purpose is 
another question, which need not concern us for 
the time being. 

If we go back to our main thread of enquiry and 
draw together the results of our observations, 
they seem to offer a comparatively simple diag- 
nosis of this supposedly mysterious disease which 
has gotten hold of our young people. We have 
located the seat of the trouble and indicated the 
nature of the developments which have, so to 
speak, thrown the motives of conduct out of their 
accustomed balance. 

Obedience, discipline, respect for authority and 
traditions, consideration for others, fear of pun- 
ishment, fear of consequences, fear of God, — 
these great check-weights to self-interest, self- 
seeking, have lost in weight and substance to such 
an extent that they no longer turn the scales and 
point the way. If our diagnosis is on the whole 
correct, we have finished with the first part of the 
problem. 

41 



HEAET AND SOUL 

N. ¥. Times, July 5, 1921. — Says lax parents make boy felons. 
Judge Talley analyzes youthful crime. Defiance begins at home. 

Judge Alfred J. Talley of the Court of General Sessions told 
several thousand persons gathered in the Mall in Central Park for 
an Independence Day celebration by the Knights of Columbus 
yesterday afternoon that modern American children are not 
brought up with the proper respect for their parents, law and 
order, or constituted authority, and that the fault lies with their 
elders. Judge Talley described the situation as a " cancer on the 
body politic. ' ' He drew a distinction between liberty and license 
and said that his experience in the criminal courts of New York 
had brought one great American failing very strongly home to him. 

"The one thing the American people lack to-day," he said, "is 
a proper method for bringing up their children. I see the results 
of this every day. The hardened criminals turn out to be youths 
of 19 and 20 years who first thrust themselves against law and 
order at 16 and 17 years, and who at 14 told their fathers that 
they were leaving school — and left. 

' ' Behind this hardened criminal stands the sullen drab figure of 
a girl who tries to show how loyal she is to the vagabond in the 
hands of the law. Jt all began with a misguided idea of liberty. 
The youth is the one who told his father he had had all the edu- 
cation he needed and promptly became a street corner type, and the 
girl, she who silenced her mother when bound for a dance by 
tossing aside criticism of the indecent dress she wore. 

' ' In our schools to-day the child stands defiant and the teacher 
is unable to use the only kind of discipline that would do any 
good. The parent at home fails to understand disciplinary meth- 
ods, and so we have the picture of the father obeying the son in- 
stead of the son the father; and the mother obeys the daughter." 

To support his contention, Judge Talley said that statistics 
supplied a few weeks ago by the New York State Prison Com- 
mission showed the average age of penitentiary inmates to be 19 
years. ' ' This means that they began their criminal careers at 
16 and 17, an age at which no Judge sends them to State prison. 
WTiat is to be done to stem this tide of youthful depravity? There 
is only one way — we must encourage morality in public and in 
private, which means that we must bring back to our American 
life high standards and high ideals." 



42 



II 

THE UP-TO-DATE PRINCIPLE 

IN the eyes of some good folks, the behavior of 
the girls and boys and young married people 
to-day appears totally unprincipled ; and the good 
folks throw up their hands and declare "they 
can't understand it." As a matter of fact, they 
haven't tried to understand it and most of them 
are very far from understanding it. 

There are nearly always two sides to a question 
— to any question — and no matter how strongly 
your personal views may incline you to take one 
side, before passing judgment, it is no more than 
common fairness to give the other side a chance 
to explain and justify its attitude. There is cer- 
tainly very little chance of convincing your oppo- 
nents that they are wrong, unless you have a fair- 
ly clear notion of what it is they have in mind. 

It is quite natural for a grandmother to regard 
as " unprincipled, " the conduct of this new gen- 
eration. It is obviously not controlled by the 
same principles that she has lived by. She is 

43 



HEART AND SOUL 

impressed and disturbed by the disappearance of 
her principles and the shocking effects. The "im- 
possible notions " that have apparently taken 
their place are beyond her comprehension, but 
she certainly would not dignify them by the name 
of principles. 

But if these u impossible notions" are all that 
the new generation has to go by, and if they 
represent its spirit and attitude toward the prob- 
lem of life, it makes little difference whether 
they be called principles or not, a principle of 
some sort is involved in them. 

The first thing to do, therefore, is to arrive 
at as clear an understanding as possible as to 
what this principle is and what it implies. 

Very little observation is needed to arrive at 
the conclusion that the essence of this new prin- 
ciple is the right of the individual nature to its 
fullest expression, to its most untrammelled de- 
velopment. 

A large proportion of the new generation may 
not be consciously aware of this doctrine, or of 
their adhesion to it. But it is in the air and 
they absorb it; it grows up within them, as an 
unconscious product of other influences; it is 
present in those about them, and the "herd in- 
stinct" causes them to adopt it. 

There are also a number who have given 

44 



THE UP-TO-DATE PBINCIPLE 

thought to the subject and are convinced of the 
soundness and progress of the new principle. 
They are prepared to defend it and proclaim it 
with a touch of superiority. Here and there, in 
magazine articles and newspapers, it is finding 
more or less authoritative expression and en- 
dorsement. 

The following quotations, *for instance, are 
from an article which appeared recently on the 
editorial page of the Hearst Newspapers. They 
represent some views on education by a leading 
exponent of advanced thought. 

One great end of education that ought forever to be in mind 
is that the greatest enemy of attainment, as it is indeed of life 
itself, is Fear. 

No man or woman can ever do good work, in the world, 
whatever be the task, until he has stricken from his hands 
and head and his heart the chains of Fear. 

The very first lesson to teach a baby is to be unafraid. 

Instead of that, fear is constantly resorted to in the family 
and in the school-room. We bribe, we threaten, we wheedle, 
we bull-doze. And by every such act, we do the child irrepar- 
able harm. 

You ought to be much more thankful to God that your child 
defies you, than that he cringes before you. 

It should always be kept in mind that what you are after 
with your child is not that he should learn obedience, but 
that he should learn how to govern himself. 

The road to obedience is short, easy and nasty. All you 
need is a big stick. If you can be cruel and brutal enough, 
the little one will quickly learn to jump when you speak to 
him. 

This is a part of the new principle, forcibly and 
typically expressed. 

45 



HEART AND SOUL 

Is it any wonder that grandmother, brought up 
under the " Spare the rod, and spoil the child" 
and "Children should be seen, not heard' ' convic- 
tions, ' ' should find herself bewildered by such no- 
tions — that she should deem them ''impossible." 

Another article of a somewhat different kind 
which appeared recently in the Atlantic Monthly, 
was written by an Englishman, a moralist of the 
modern school. His lesson is addressed to wo- 
men and the main point of it, developed in a 
most interesting and reassuring way, is that they 
are too much afraid of conventional ideas, of 
public opinion. They should not permit their as- 
pirations and inclinations to be stifled by such con- 
siderations, but have the courage to give freer 
rein to their inner longings. 

He refers, in his article, to the fact that Ameri- 
can women are said to be far more advanced in 
this respect than their English cousins and ap- 
proves of their example. 

These, of course, are only scattered specimens 
of the many articles which have appeared and will 
continue to appear in support of the new principle. 

And in this connection a rather curious side- 
light has come to my attention repeatedly, within 
the past few years. Among a certain class of 
people, especially those who pride themselves on 
superior intelligence and advanced thought, there 

46 



THE UP-TO-DATE PEINCIPLE 

has been a pronounced revival of interest and ad- 
miration for the free verse and freer morals of 
Walt Whitman. He has been, so to speak, re- 
discovered and embraced as a guide and a pro- 
phet. His creed of life, so exuberantly and defi- 
antly expressed, was the exalted importance of 
his own ego. Wherever his desires led him, wher- 
ever joy for himself was to be found, there would 
he go, unabashed and inconsiderate. 

With these indications in mind, we may pro- 
ceed to consider some actual examples which will 
serve to illustrate. 

A certain young woman is well-born and well- 
bred, occupying a prominent social position, de- 
cidedly intelligent — and good-looking, to boot. 
She has a husband of her own class and kind, who 
has always been devoted to her, and three lovely 
children, two boys and a girl. 

She has apparently given considerable thought 
to the problem of life, and the point-of-view she 
arrived at finally would seem to be a typical prod- 
uct of modern ideas. 

She believes first and foremost in the absolute 
right of the individual soul to recognize no master 
but itself — to follow out its desires and aspira- 
tions to the fullest extent. She has a feeling of 
scorn and contempt for conventions and conven- 
tional people. If you pay any attention to them, 

47 



HEAET AND SOUL 

or their narrow, sheep-like opinions, or allow them 
to interfere in any way with your freedom of 
action, you are belittling yourself and your self- 
respect. 

You must never be afraid to obey your own im- 
pulses. They come from within you, they are a 
part of your nature — your self — and that is where 
your true duty lies. It is better that you should 
be true to yourself, even at the expense of others, 
than that you should be afraid and cowardly. 

The very fact that a desire, or an impulse, makes 
itself felt within you is the main point. It is 
not really the things you do that matter so much, 
as your wish to do them. If you wish to do a 
thing, and hold back out of cowardice, or fear of 
the consequences, that does n't make you any bet- 
ter — only weaker and worse. You can't deny that 
the wish was there — without lying to yourself — so 
what's the use! 

It is finer and braver to go on with it and attain 
at least the satisfaction of a wish fulfilled. 

"But," some one objects, "how about your 
obligations to others? Suppose by doing the 
thing you wish, you will harm them?" 

This little lady's answer to such an objection 
is usually accompanied by a shrug and a mildly 
condescending expression. 

"If you are going to keep bothering your head 

48 



THE UP-TO-DATE PRINCIPLE 

about the effect of your actions on other people, 
you might as well give up at the start and be a 
nice little sheep. The game isn't worth the 
candle. 

"Besides, there's more humbug in that than 
any of the other bromides, weak natures prate 
about. Most people in this world have got to look 
out for themselves. You can't hope to be any- 
thing, or do anything worth while without occa- 
sionally treading on some one's toes. It has al- 
ways been that way and if you're honest with 
yourself, you may as well recognize the fact and 
accept it philosophically. 

"In most cases the harm that you do is much 
less than you imagine. That usually takes care 
of itself, somehow." 

If people bore her, she does n't believe in pre- 
tending that they interest her. She will not in- 
vite them to her house, or accept their invita- 
tions. 

If she has agreed to go somewhere, where she 
expects to amuse herself and then, at the last 
moment, no longer feels in the mood for it, she 
calls it off. Or if in the meantime, something 
else turns up that she would prefer to do, she 
does not hesitate to switch to the thing she pre- 
fers. 

If people do n't like that, it is their affair. She 

49 



HEART AND SOUL 

has no intention of cramping her freedom, deny- 
ing her desires, on their account. What she 
does means more to her than it does to anybody 
else. There is no good reason for her to pretend 
to be any different from what she is. 

Moreover, in this particular case, there can be 
very little doubt, among those who know her, 
that she practices what she preaches. This, too, 
is something which occurs more frequently in the 
new generation than it did in the past. There 
is no great trouble in accommodating practice to 
theory — or rather the theory accommodates itself 
very readily to the kind of conduct which persons 
of this kind are ready to practice. 

For instance, the lady in question wanted to 
visit Chinatown in one of the large cities and 
arranged with a professional guide to be taken 
there at night, alone with a girl friend. Among 
other things, they saw a Chinaman smoking opium 
and this gave rise to a desire on her part to ex- 
perience the sensation for herself. The guide was 
prevailed upon, for a consideration, to procure 
her an outfit and a supply of opium ; and that very 
night in her room she took a try at an opium 
dream. Why not? 

At another time, at a cabaret party, she was 
introduced to a somewhat notorious young man 
of the Bohemian world. He was obviously disso- 

50 



THE UP-TO-DATE PRINCIPLE 

lute, but talented and interesting. She danced 
with him, gave him encouragement, invited him 
to her home and was not afraid to be seen going 
about with him frequently on terms of intimacy. 
Among other things, he was addicted to the co- 
caine habit — he sniffed the powder from the back 
of his hand — and in due time he talked to her 
about it. He presented her with a bottle of the 
drug and after that, she always had a supply in 
reserve which she used when the impulse came. 
Why not? 

If her husband had any objection to things that 
she did, he soon learned to keep them to him- 
self. She could not and would not tolerate any 
interference with the rights of an individual soul. 
She must have the same freedom that she con- 
ceded to him. The kind of thing he chose to do, 
apart from her, was a matter for him to decide 
in accordance with his nature. The same rule 
must apply to her. The days of slavery had 
passed. Marriage was an arrangement between 
equals. 

In due course of time, the husband had to leave 
her and the children for war service. While he 
was away, she fell in with another talented and 
dissipated Bohemian — a romantic-looking musi- 
cian very much in the public eye. Very quickly 
their infatuation for each other was a matter of 

51 



HEABT AND SOUL 

open comment on the part of the veriest on- 
looker. As he had the same idea that she had 
about the rights of the individual, and the same 
contempt for conventions and conventional people, 
there was no pretense of concealment, no need 
of observing the proprieties. 

When the husband returned from overseas, she 
informed him, with the utmost candor of what had 
taken place. There was no shame and no re- 
morse. Why should there be? A simple state- 
ment of fact — the forces of human nature in oper- 
ation. She had found some one who appealed to 
her impulses more strongly than he. That was 
a truth which had to be accepted. The simplest 
way was to allow her to get a divorce. 

But what of the children? 

A very simple answer. Whether they went 
with their father or stayed with their mother — 
or were taken by the grandparents — anything 
was really better for children than being brought 
up in an atmosphere where all was pretense and 
whence love had flown. Of course she loved her 
children and always would, but if they grew up 
to be the right sort, they would understand her 
motives and admire her the more for being true 
to herself. 

This case embodies the practical working of 
the new principle, carried to an extreme. 

52 



THE UP-TO-DATE PEINCIPLE 

Here is another example of a different order : 
Two pretty girls of eighteen or twenty were talk- 
ing together in the seat in front of me, in a 
trolley car. They turned out to be telephone 
operators at central switchboards. They were 
talking over their plans, which contemplated a 
visit to the movies with two young men — a supper 
and dance afterwards. The young men were still 
to be heard from and as the girls were going to 
separate places of employment the question was 
how to let each other know about final arrange- 
ments. For reasons best known to themselves, 
it wouldn't be wise to attempt that over the 
'phone — they had better meet somewhere. Where- 
upon one of the girls suggested a place convenient 
to them both, where they could slip out and meet 
each other — at four o 'clock. She would ' ' plug in ' ' 
all the terminals on her switchboard, so that all 
the lines in that central would be reported "busy" 
when people called up, and the other girl could 
do the same. Then they could talk things over 
quietly. "Nothing to be afraid of." And so 
they agreed. Why not? 

Here is another symptom: 

A married woman of my acquaintance is de- 
cidedly old-fashioned in her respect for conven- 
tions and moral standards. She has a sweet and 
rather shy daughter, who has been brought up 

53 



HEAET AND SOUL 

closely under the mother's wing, and has never 
lost the habit of asking and telling her mother 
everything. She is seventeen. 

One summer evening, recently, the daughter was 
called up on the 'phone by one of her girl friends 
and asked to make one of the party, who were ar- 
ranging an impromptu dance at a private house. 
The girl friend and her brother would stop for 
her in their car and bring her home afterwards. 

When the invitation was referred to mother, 
after a moment of hesitation and worry about the 
propriety of the proceeding, she gave her consent. 
Shortly after, the friend and her brother stop- 
ped at the house and took the daughter with them. 

When she got back home, after midnight, she 
went to her mother's room and told her, at her 
bed-side, what had happened. 

After they got to the house where the dance 
was to be and the others had all gathered there, it 
was decided for some reason to adjourn to another 
house. To get to this other house, the daughter 
was put into an automobile with a girl and two 
young men. She sat in front, beside the young 
man who was driving. She knew him only 
slightly, had danced with him a few times and 
thought him rather nice. 

On the way, after chatting and joking, this 
young man stopped the car, then suddenly kissed 

54 



THE UP-TO-DATE PRINCIPLE 

her and took her in his arms. She didn't know 
what to do. When she looked around, she found 
that the same thing was going on in the back 
seat between the other boy and girl. 

The young man beside her wouldn't listen to 
her objections. They seemed to take it for granted. 
If you liked each other, why shouldn't you? He 
said he liked her. 

The occurrence is fairly typical of up-to-date 
standards — except in one particular. Most girls 
refrain from mentioning it to mother. 

Here is another symptom, of slightly different 
complexion which applies to married life and 
suggests the extent to which the new principle is 
bearing fruit, in society circles. 

It was brought to my notice, last summer, that 
in one colony on Long Island where I hap- 
pened to be, there were fourteen different houses 
where the wife had deserted the family and the 
husband was keeping house alone with the chil- 
dren. This was among members of the fashionable 
set. In each of these cases, of course, the wife had 
come across some man who, for the time being 
at least, appealed to her more than her husband 
and a divorce had been obtained in some conveni- 
ent way, or was in the process of obtaining. 

It usually happens when a discussion takets 
place concerning the immorality of the present 

55 



HEABT AND SOUL 

day, that some member of the party will advance 
the opinion in a more or less authoritative way 
that the tendency in question is confined almost 
entirely to the so-called upper crust of society 
and is consequently not entitled to the significance 
which is being attributed to it. The great mass 
of the people, in their simple homes and simple 
communities, are not in the least contaminated 
or disturbed by it. They are just as moral and 
clean-minded as they ever were, probably more 
so. Among the rich and idle upper classes, 
there has always been a lot of dissipation and 
immorality in all countries, at all times. If 
America is getting a little more than usual of it, 
at present, that is nothing to get excited about. 

In the face of such sentiments, cheerily and for- 
cibly expressed, the average gossip and fault- 
finder is usually willing to acquiesce with a shrug. 
And so the discussion ends with a feeling that 
an attempt has been made to exaggerate the im- 
portance of a restricted and unrepresentative 
class. 

As a matter of fact, this kind of talk would ap- 
pear to be founded on neither accurate informa- 
tion nor sound reasoning. 

As regards the lower and middle classes — in- 
cluding those in small communities — especially 
those in small communities — it has been called to 

56 



THE UP-TO-DATE PEINCIPLE 

my attention repeatedly by those in a position to 
know, that the change in standards, the so-called 
demoralization, has been quite as extreme as 
among the upper crust. And this view is in ac- 
cord with my own notion. 

Two important agents of the new movement 
are the automobile and the moving picture show. 
The mechanic's daughter, the store-keeper's 
daughter, the farmer's daughter like to go to the 
movies. It may be at first the mother, or father, 
took care to find out who the daughter was going 
with and how. A girl friend and her brother. 
How are they going? In the friend's automobile. 
Another time the father runs the daughter over 
to the friend's house in the Ford car. Another 
time the daughter runs herself over to the friend's 
house in the Ford car. It is only a short way. 
Or again, it is the friend's brother who stops for 
her, on his way to get the sister. After a while, 
this going to the movies has become such a fre- 
quent occurrence, that it is accepted as a matter 
of course, without bother or comment. If per- 
chance the daughter comes home, some night, later 
than usual and the mother feels uneasy, the ex- 
planation is very simple. Instead of going to 
the nearby theatre, the daughter and her friend 
went over to a neighboring town where a more 
interesting picture was showing. In the end the 

57 



HEAET AND SOUL 

daughter goes off: about when she pleases and 
comes back in the same way. 

Very often the stories she sees on the screen 
are largely seasoned with material that stirs the 
imagination and emotions in a hectic sexual way. 
If the girl and a young man get into a Ford car 
together to go home by moonlight, is it to be 
wondered at that the car comes to a stop on the 
lonely road and they forget old-fashioned pro- 
prieties? 

The extent to which this sort of thing has been 
going on in many of the small town communities, 
according to the information I have received, is 
far too serious to be glossed over with easy opti- 
mism. In one relatively small and primitive 
district I happened to know of, more than one-half 
of the families with marriageable daughters have 
within the last three years had to bear the shame 
of illegitimate off-spring. 

In the cities and larger towns, the same ten- 
dency appears to be in full swing among the shop- 
girls, stenographers, and daughters in the hum- 
bler walks of life. 



58 



in 



REASON AND EXPERIENCE 



IN any case, from the examples and indications 
which we have cited and countless others of a 
similar kind which come within the experience 
of almost every one, nowadays, there can be little 
room for doubt that the new principle of conduct 
is very much in evidence throughout the length 
and breadth of our land. Consciously or uncon- 
sciously, it is affecting the character and deter- 
mining the point-of-view of vast numbers in the 
new generation. 

If you attempt to reason with them and they 
are willing and intelligent enough to express 
themselves frankly, their answer and justification 
for the way they are going sums up about as fol- 
lows: 

"Why should n't I think of myself and do what 
I like and want, as often as I get the chance? 

"As long as I steer clear of the law and avoid 
breaking my neck, what other consequences are 
there that I need to keep worrying about? 

59 



HEART AND SOUL 

"Why shouldn't I be a pleasure-seeker and a 
pleasure-lover? Why shouldn't I follow my in- 
clinations and do what I like, whenever and 
wherever I get the chance ?" 

Why not? 

If you expect them to act contrary to their in- 
clinations, to deny themselves the pleasures that 
they want, and to do things they do not feel like 
doing, there ought to be a good and sufficient rea- 
son. It ought to be so clear and convincing that 
it can be accepted with a whole heart and a set- 
tled resolve to abide by it. 

The young people of to-day are made of exactly 
the same stuff as the young people of any other 
day. They have the same sort of instincts and 
the same underlying aspiration to get the most 
and the best out of life. Owing to altered con- 
ditions, for reasons which we have outlined, they 
are being left to go about it very largely in their 
own way, with less coercion from without, than 
young people have probably ever known before 
in the history of civilization. 

How far will you get by telling them that the 
way they are going is immoral and sinful? They 
can answer by saying "If I choose to be immoral 
and satisfy myself, why shouldn't I? I'm not 
afraid of being sinful, or any of those old-fash- 
ioned scare-crows." 

60 



REASON AND EXPERIENCE 

How far will you get by advising that the rod be 
taken out again and that they be beaten into sub- 
mission to forms of authority which they no lon- 
ger believe in or respect! This might result in 
teaching them duplicity and cunning and resent- 
ment, but probably nothing more beneficial to 
their spiritual health. 

It seems to me more sensible to be patient with 
them and talk matters over with them and try to 
answer their question in exactly the same spirit 
in which it is asked. 

The question is " Why should n't I go ahead and 
gratify my inclinations in any way that suits 
myself." 

There are many reasons, some of which ought 
not to be very difficult for any one to understand. 
Broadly speaking, they are of three different 
kinds — First, experience; second, affection; third, 
faith. 

Let us examine them in order, in a simple, 
leisurely way, and try to make clear the essence 
of each. 

What does the question of experience lead to 
and imply? 

First, there is one's own experience; then there 
is the experience of other people. 

Our own experience teaches us very quickly 
that we often have impulses which it would be a 

61 



HEAET AND SOUL 

mistake to obey. If you feel like pulling a strange 
dog's tail and the dog turns on you and bites 
your hand and the wound has to be cauterized, 
and you have to go through a lot of pain and 
trouble and fear of hydrophobia, one lesson will 
probably be enough for you. 

Suppose you are overheated and feel like sit- 
ting in a draft and letting the cool air blow on 
you, and this is followed by a heavy cold which 
lays you up for a week or two? 

Or suppose you are on top of a tall building and 
feel a strong impulse to jump out and go sailing 
through the air? Many people have this im- 
pulse, but they have previously had enough ex- 
perience to know what happens to people who fall 
from high places. 

The number of such examples might be multi- 
plied indefinitely, but enough has been suggested 
to indicate the principle. It is quite obvious and 
childishly simple — the lessons taught to each and 
every one of us by our own experience. 

Now let us follow this path a step further. It 
is quite possible for you to have impulses and 
inclinations to do things which might cause you 
irreparable harm. The consequences of these 
things are not something that you can remember 
and foresee, because in your own experience the^ 
have not occurred before. If you stick to your 

62 



EEASON AND EXPERIENCE 

idea of obeying no one but yourself and of being 
unafraid to do what you want, the lesson in store 
for you may come too late. 

Certain impulses of yours, if followed, may 
cause death. Others may cause permanent injury 
to yourself, or irreparable harm to others. 

A little boy seeing an automobile coming along 
the road sometimes has an impulse to run across 
the road in front of the automobile, for the fun 
and excitement of it. If you are a boy and feel 
like it, why should n 't you 1 

You have never tripped and fallen in front of 
an automobile — you have never misjudged the 
speed of it and been struck and killed that way. 
You have never seen any other boy killed that 
way. There is nothing in your own experience 
to deter you. 

If the automobile happens to hit you, you will 
have acquired experience that might be useful 
to you, but the cost is too great. If you are not 
dead, you may be crippled' for life. 

If you are convalescing from typhoid fever, you 
are likely to have a ravenous appetite. You feel 
very well and you derive considerable pleasure 
from the milk-toast and soft-boiled eggs you have 
been getting, but they do not begin to satisfy you. 
Every instinct within you calls for a big piece 
of juicy beef-steak and fried potatoes. There is 

63 



HEART AND SOUL 

no reason in your experience why yon should not 
gratify your desire — you may have been told by 
the doctor that it is n't time for that yet and you 
must be content with what is ordered for you. 
But if you believe in doing what you feel like and 
the doctor is out of the way, why not have your 
beef -steak! I happen to know of two separate 
oases where this occurred — friends of mine. The 
doctor in each case apparently took too much for 
granted and failed to impress upon their minds 
forcibly enough the need of obeying his orders 
rather than their own inclinations. The experi- 
ence came too late — because it brought death 
with it. 

Or suppose you are in some out-of-the-way 
place and are hot and tired and very thirsty and 
the only water available comes from a supply 
which is not fit to drink? You may have been told 
this by some one who knows more about it than 
you do, but if you believe in ignoring other peo- 
ple 's opinions and thinking only of yourself— and 
the water is cool and clear and you feel like drink- 
ing it, why shouldn't you? Suppose it turns out 
that clear, cool water may be polluted with cholera, 
or yellow fever, or other deadly germs? You 
may never recover from the effects of it. 

These are crude, haphazard illustrations of a 
principle which is constantly at work in human 

64 



EEASON AND EXPERIENCE 

lives in a great variety of ways. The obvious 
meaning of it is that your experience, or your own 
lack of experience, in many questions and emer- 
gencies may not be enough for you to go by, or 
depend upon. 

Most young people have had very little ex- 
perience of many things that are liable to 
have a vital bearing on their own lives, their own 
selves, their own hope of happiness. 

As a matter of fact it must be evident to any 
one who will reflect a moment, that no one indi- 
vidual, however long he may have lived, or how- 
ever full and varied his life may have been, can 
possibly have had in his own personal experience 
more than a small fraction of the things that maj 
occur and do keep occurring in the world of hu- 
manity. 

If he has led a clean, healthy, vigorous life, he 
cannot have experienced the feelings and prob- 
lems of a drunkard and dope-fiend slowly sub- 
merging in dissipation and vice. If he married 
young and has known the joy of entire devotion 
to a loyal and loving helpmate, he cannot have had 
the experience of a profligate who has been di- 
vorced four times and is about to take another 
chance with a dashing grass-widow. Hundreds 
and thousands of situations that other human be- 

65 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

ings are called upon to face, he cannot have gone 
through on his own account. 

But if we are able to find out and bear in mind 
the experience of other people, we can make use of 
it, as a warning and a guide, in much the same 
way as if it had happened to ourselves. If I have 
seen a boy try to run across the road in front 
of an automobile and stumble and get killed, it 
is not necessary for me to get killed in order to 
appreciate the danger of the experiment. You 
may never have seen this happen, but if I have 
and I tell you about it, you can use the informa- 
tion you get from me and still save yourself the 
necessity of risking your neck. 

This principle is not at all difficult to under- 
stand. It has always been applied, to greater or 
less extent, in the lives of all human beings, 
everywhere. It is no more than common sense to 
profit by the experiences of others, and try to 
avoid their mistakes. 

It seems strange that such a universal prin- 
ciple should be overlooked by the up-to-date minds 
of the new generation. Yet the least little glim- 
mer of light from it would in itself seem to be a 
sufficient answer to their question. 

"Why should n't I go ahead and gratify all my 
impulses V 9 

Because although your own limited experience 

66 



REASON AND EXPERIENCE 

may be insufficient to warn you and guide you, the 
experience of other people has shown repeatedly 
that such and such impulses usually lead to such 
and such consequences which would be very harm- 
ful to you. 

In the long run the results of others y experience 
are a better guide to follow than your selfish im- 
pulses. You wish to be intelligent and reason- 
able, do n't you? Well, if you lack experience and 
understanding, it is neither intelligent nor rea- 
sonable to imagine that you are the best judge of 
the consequences. 

Of course, the examples we have cited so far 
— the strange dog that bites, the boy and the 
automobile, typhoid fever and polluted water — 
are very elementary. Also the questions they 
involve — the harmful consequences of certain im- 
pulses — are direct and immediate and entirely ma- 
terial. They serve well enough to answer a ques- 
tion and illustrate a principle and that is all they 
were intended for. The principle is worth bearing 
in mind, because its application extends to all 
sorts of complicated questions of conduct. One 
reason that the young people of to-day are so con- 
fused in their moral ideas is just because they 
have been allowed to overlook this simple, fun- 
damental principle. 

It frequently happens that the most important 

67 



HEAET AND SOUL 

consequences of the thing you do, or fail to do, are 
not direct and immediate but fairly remote and 
obscure. An individual without much experience 
or knowledge of the world may easily neglect to 
consider them. 

For instance, I have known several cases where 
young men of good family forged their fathers' 
names. They were up-to-date young men, of 
course. But even so, how could they come to do 
such a thing? 

By gratifying their inclinations, in the first 
place, in accordance with the up-to-date idea. One 
natural consequence of this is that, in order to 
gratify a new inclination, or as a result of having 
gratified the last one, it becomes necessary to have 
more money. That is one of the annoyances of 
civilization, which even the most advanced of 
the new generation have n 't yet been able to 
change. Many of their pet impulses cannot be 
indulged without money. It is an old-fashioned 
convention and very irksome, but for the time 
being, at least, it has to be made the best of. 

The young men in question eventually found 
themselves faced with this problem. They had 
to have money. How could they get it? Not by 
asking their mother, or father, for it. That source 
of supply had been used up to the last drop, with 
the help of all sorts of pretexts, subterfuges and 

68 



REASON AND EXPERIENCE 

broken promises. There was no longer any avail- 
able friend or relative to borrow from. That re- 
source had also been used up. They had no jew- 
elry left to pawn — that had been used up, too. 

So finally, for the want of a better way, they 
arrived at this scheme of signing their fathers' 
names to checks. 

After all, looking at it from their point- of -view, 
and bearing in mind the freedom of the individual, 
why shouldn't they? 

It would do no great harm to their fathers — no 
real harm at all. They had plenty of money in the 
bank. 

But it would constitute forgery — a serious of- 
fense, against the law. "What of that? So is 
speeding an automobile against the law. Who's 
afraid of breaking the law — if you have the 
nerve?" 

Is there no such thing as right and wrong? 
Don't you know in your heart that this would be 
wrong — very wrong? 

"I've been fed up with that kind of talk all my 
life. What other people think about such things 
is their affair. I believe in deciding for myself 
and doing as I like. 

"The main thing I've got to consider is my 
chance of getting away with it and what is liable 
to happen if I don't. I am sure I can make a 

69 



HEAET AND SOUL 

good enough imitation of my father's signature 
to get the cheek cashed at one of the stores the 
family deals with. If it goes to the bank along 
with other checks and the amount is not large, 
there is small chance of any attention being paid 
to it. If it once gets into father's account at the 
bank, as likely as not it will never be discovered. 
And even if it should be, at some future date, no 
father would bring a charge against his own son. 
So the worst that can happen is another one of 
those family scenes which I have gone through 
before. 

"The most important thing of all is that I need 
the money — I've got to have it — and this is the 
least objectionable way I can think of to get it." 

This is presumably the process of reasoning the 
young men in question went through. In each 
case the immediate consequence of the act was 
apparently harmless and quite satisfactory to 
them. They got the money they wanted, the checks 
were taken in at the bank, time passed and no 
one knew the difference. 

The indirect and remote consequences of this 
kind of conduct, however, came eventually. They 
nearly always do. The forgeries in each case were 
repeated — why shouldn't they be? And the day 
finally arrived when they were brought to light. 
In each of the cases the suffering and heart-break 

70 



EEASON AND EXPEBIENCE 

of the mothers and fathers was pitiful and beyond 
recovery in this world. That was one of the in- 
direct consequences. 

One of the young men, whom I had known as a 
bright, attractive collegian, was sent to prison, 
eventually, in spite of all his family could do. 
Another died in an institution for incurables. All 
forfeited their birthright of home, family, decent 
associations and ended up in degradation and 
wreckage. 

That was one of the remote consequences. 

Let us take a more usual example, much less 
extreme — the young man who steps on the throttle 
of his automobile because he feels like going fast. 

As far as his own experience is concerned, 
where is the reason for him to deny his impulse % 

If a traffic cop happens to see him, he might 
get "pinched" and fined. That's about the only 
thing worth considering. But if he keeps his 
eyes open and his companions in the back seat 
watch out behind, there 's not much chance of that. 
And after all, suppose he does happen to "get 
pinched/ ' what of it? There are plenty of others. 
His father will have to pay a fine and there will 
be a little scolding and unpleasantness in the fam- 
ily, at the worst. 

As for the danger, who's afraid of that? It 
only makes it more exciting and more fun. 

71 



HEART AND SOUL 

The result is logical enough, if you start with 
the premise that each individual is free to follow 
his inclinations and decide for himself. 

Very few young men have sufficient experience 
of their own, or sufficient reflection and wisdom, 
to give due weight to the indirect and remote con- 
sequences which may come from such conduct. 

Let us pause and imagine a few of them. 

In the first place, an automobile skimming along 
the road at the rate of sixty or seventy miles an 
hour has in it elements of danger which are en- 
titled to some consideration. The danger is not 
only for those who are in the car, but also for 
others who may wish to use the same road. An 
accumulated mass of experience has amply demon- 
strated this. That is the underlying reason for 
the speed laws — not that young men may be 
i ' pinched ' ' by * ' traffic cops ' ' and fathers be made 
to pay fines. 

If the young man driving the car were the only 
one concerned in the danger, it might be different. 
He could claim the right to risk his own neck when 
he felt like it, and it might be conceded to him. 
But such is not the case — such is never the case — 
other people cannot help being affected by his con- 
duct. His companions in the car, their families, 
his own family, other people on the road and all 

72 



EEASON AND EXPERIENCE 

their families, may be very much concerned in a 
possible accident caused by his recklessness. 

If he kills a little girl, or a boy on a bicycle, or 
a lady coming out of a cross-road, or if the damage 
is merely the injury of a few people and the wreck- 
ing of a car, there are sure to be unpleasant con- 
sequences for the young man himself. 

So much for the question of accident or danger 
of accident, but there is another question of an- 
other sort involved. 

Suppose the young man has promised his 
mother and father that he would not drive fast — 
never above thirty miles an hour — suppose it was 
on this distinct understanding that their anxiety 
was allayed and he was trusted to take the car 
by himself wherever he liked? 

Does it make any difference to him whether he 
breaks a promise — to his mother and father? 

He can say to himself that it is only a natural 
fussiness on their part, and as they are not in 
the car, they won't know anything about it. 

But sooner or later they do know about it ; such 
things nearly always have a way of coming to 
light. It is an old saying which has been very 
generally confirmed that, in the long run, "the 
truth will out." One of the girls in the car tells 
somebody how fast they went and that somebody 
refers to it before others until it gets to the boy's 

73 



HEART AND SOUL 

mother and father. What harm to the boy? A 
little scolding, perhaps, and a repetition of the 
warning and the promise? 

That's only the superficial consequence. There 
is a deeper and more remote one. The parents' 
confidence in their boy receives a shock. The 
boy can't always be trusted to keep his word. 
Also he is inclined to be reckless and irresponsible. 

The parents have always idolized the boy; the 
father has never ceased looking forward to the 
day when he could turn over to his son a big share 
of his responsibilities and see him carry on the 
name and prestige of the family. It is the most 
natural and fondest hope that fathers have. 

This hope begins to be undermined when the 
boy does something which shows that he cannot be 
trusted. If he will break his word and take a 
reckless chance, merely for the sake of gratifying 
a trivial inclination, what is to keep him from 
doing so, on other occasions for the same reason? 
The same spirit and the same point-of-view are 
certain to find repeated opportunities for the 
same sort of irresponsible conduct. 

When, in the course of time, the realization of 
this finally comes home to the mother and father, 
the consequences, although remote, are apt to be 
extremely serious for all concerned — including the 
boy. 

74 



REASON AND EXPERIENCE 

His character is irresponsible and untrustwor- 
thy. His word, or promise, is of no account — he 
cannot be counted on to keep it. That has been 
proved by his conduct — unmistakably. 

What the harm is to an individual of develop- 
ing a character of this kind — or a lack of charac- 
ter — is a big and fairly complicated subject which 
is apparently not much considered by up-to-date 
young people, who are satisfied to judge things 
from the point-of-view of selfishness and personal 
experience. It may be left for discussion later on. 

The harm to mother and father and members 
of the family is also a matter which they incline 
to imagine is no concern of theirs. According to 
the new principle, the main consideration is one's 
own ego and its right to freedom. This question, 
too, may be left for later discussion. 

But there still remains a harm and a loss of a 
practical, material kind, which in due course is 
pretty sure to come to the young man, himself. 
As it has a direct bearing on his pleasures and 
inclinations, even the most selfish individual 
should find it worth considering. 

If you do things that are reckless and irre- 
sponsible, if you break your word and fail to keep 
your promise, the people who cease to trust you, 
those who have most to do with you, will treat 
you accordingly. Those who have it in their 

75 



HEART AND SOUL 

power to contribute largely to your enjoyment, 
and to your opportunities, will refrain from doing 
so. Invitations, friendships, relationships of vari- 
ous kinds that might have been at your disposal, 
will be withheld from you. 

To get the most out of life, even from an en- 
tirely material and selfish point-of-view, you need 
a lot of help from other people. First and fore- 
most you need it from your own family, in count- 
less ways. 

Suppose your own father, as a result of your ir- 
responsibility, refuses to let you have an auto- 
mobile to break the speed laws with? Suppose 
he is forced by experience to realize that you can't 
be trusted with money, any more than you can be 
trusted with an automobile? This realization is 
sure to be a source of great disappointment and 
sorrow to him, but he has to accept it. He must 
abandon his hope of turning over his responsibili- 
ties to you. If money is placed at your disposal, 
you may be expected to gamble with it on the stock 
exchange, or the race-track, or to squander it in 
gratifications of an unworthy and demoralizing 
kind. A young man who thinks only of gratifying 
his inclinations, who is not afraid to be reckless 
and inconsiderate of others, and who fails to keep 
his word, is hardly a fit person to be placed in 
control of money. It frequently happens that a 

76 



REASON AMD EXPERIENCE 

father feels it a duty, when he makes his will, to 
tie up the family inheritance in such a way that 
it will be beyond the reach of an untrustworthy 
son. 

So that the remote and indirect consequences 
of this kind of conduct may be more harmful to a 
young man than his lack of experience and under- 
standing makes him aware of, at the time being. 

How about the young woman of superior intel- 
lect and breeding, who had an inclination to smoke 
opium, on one occasion, and to sniff cocaine, on 
another? 

Suppose she had been better informed on the 
subject than she apparently was. Suppose she 
happened to have a friend, who had been con- 
nected with one of the state institutions for drug 
addicts, and this friend had told her about the 
inmates — how hopeless and pitiful their degrada- 
tion was — how abject their slavery to the drug 
sensation for which they continually yearned. 
No way has been found to cure them, because they 
have no will to be cured. And the beginnings 
of the habit are so often accidental and trivial — 
curiosity, or bravado, or carelessness on the part 
of a practitioner. A Harvard college student, of 
good family, for instance, was on a spree in 
Boston, with some friends — they went to an opium 
joint and thought it would be fun to try the sen- 

77 



HEART AND SOUL 

sation. This particular boy remained in the den 
twenty-four hours, under the influence. That 
was the beginning — and the end. He went there 
again — he got himself a lay-out — and is now 
a hopeless wreck in the state institution, twenty- 
one years old. Another is a society woman who 
was given a dose of heroin and that one dose 
proved sufficient for her undoing. The craving 
for it came and she wanted more and more. 

Or suppose some one had told her about a very 
remarkable case which came to my attention, a 
number of years ago. Four young physicians 
were associates on the staff of one of our leading 
medical institutions. A considerable part of their 
time was devoted to research work and among 
other things they started experimenting with the 
effects of cocaine, which was a comparatively 
recent discovery. They were brilliant young men 
of unusual character and promise, but all four 
succumbed to the cocaine habit. The last of them 
died in pitiful degradation, within five years of 
their first experiment. 

Experience has shown that just as there are 
certain poisons which the bodily functions are un- 
able to resist, so there are certain drugs which 
have the effect of sapping the will and distorting 
the judgment. The craving which they leave in 

78 



REASON AND EXPERIENCE 

their wake may very easily become so compelling 
that human nature cannot resist it. 

So that if any society woman has sufficient un- 
derstanding of the subject, there is plenty of rea- 
son why she should dismiss an inclination to try 
opium- smoking, or cocaine sniffing. The impulse 
is mere whim, silly curiosity — the consequences 
may be degrading, terrible. 

But if she believes in paying no heed to the con- 
ventional ideas of other people, and is lacking in 
experience and knowledge of her own, she may be 
very well pleased with herself for her daring. 
" Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" — that 
is an old saying which suggests that ignorant 
people, defying the counsels of experience, were 
known to exist before now — only in the past they 
were called "fools," whereas to-day they prefer 
to be considered "exponents of advanced 
thought," with a superior point- of -view, inaug- 
urating a new era of ' ' emancipation. ' ' 

It is not my purpose here to go on multiplying 
examples. I merely wished to indicate as simply 
and clearly as possible an underlying, fundamen- 
tal principle. It is at work in countless ways, 
in everybody's life, nearly all the time. Personal 
impulses and inclinations may be very short- 
sighted, very unlovely, very unworthy. Greed, 
murder, arson, lust, theft, lying, betrayal — are 

79 



HEART AND SOUL 

only a few samples of the variety of impulses 
which may come and do come frequently to vari- 
ous individuals upon occasion. 

Our own limited experience and a little reason 
may be a sufficient guide in many cases. They 
teach us to overrule certain inclinations, whose 
consequences we understand and which we deem 
contrary to our interests. 

In many other cases, the consequences may be 
just as contrary to our interests, though they lie 
beyond our own experience and present under- 
standing. For that reason people have been taught 
throughout the centuries to accept and be guided 
by the accumulated experience and wisdom of 
those who have gone before. This accumulated 
experience has been preserved and made available 
to each new generation, in many ways — traditions, 
conventions, customs, familiar quotations, stand- 
ard books, the schools and the Bible. Most of 
all, it has been the special care and function of 
parents to instil it into their children. For the 
first ten or fifteen years of life, children are con- 
stantly being told what to do and what not to 
do, in all sorts of contingencies. And what they 
are told is the result of accumulated experience in 
crystallized practical form. 

In the days of obedience, discipline and fear of 
punishment, children accepted and respected this 

80 



REASON AMD EXPERIENCE 

guidance, as authoritative. They formed the habit 
of doing not what they felt like, but what was 
considered right and best for them. Very often 
the true reasons, the complicated motives and re- 
mote consequences, involved in a question of con- 
duct were not comprehended by the young people, 
and only vaguely sensed by their parents. They 
were traditional ideas, generally approved by 
right-minded people and passed along. Their 
origin, in nearly all cases, was the accumulated 
experience and wisdom of people who did compre- 
hend. 

So it happens that a young woman, or a young 
man, of the new school, without respect for old- 
fashioned teachings, and with insufficient experi- 
ence, or knowledge of their own, can fall into the 
error of imagining that their selfish interests are 
best served by gratifying each passing inclination. 

Their first shallow mistake, as I have tried to 
show, is in overlooking the lessons of others' ex- 
perience. 

This whole point-of-view, of course, is absolute- 
ly selfish and for the time being, I have been con- 
tent to meet them on their own ground and an- 
swer them in terms of absolute selfishness. Even 
on the assumption that a human being is a kind 
of animal, which feels no need of consideration 
for others' welfare, and is devoid of any higher 

81 



HEAET AND SOUL 

aspirations than a full measure of selfish enjoy- 
ment — even then, purely as a question of intelli- 
gence, a matter of policy, there are excellent rea- 
sons why various impulses and inclinations should 
be resisted and denied. The nature of these rea- 
sons I have attempted to suggest and make clear 
by some haphazard examples and as previously 
noted, the basis of them all is Experience. 



82 



IV 



AFFECTION 



THERE remain two other sets of reasons why 
our selfish inclinations should often be de- 
nied — affection and faith. They are of a higher 
and finer order. We will take them one at a 
time. 

The conscious life of a human being is by no 
means limited to the perception of sensations and 
the exercise of reason. These are important 
functions, but they are not all. A human being is 
also provided with a heart, which is capable of 
feeling sympathy for other human beings — for 
all living things. This sympathetic feeling may 
cover a wide range — pity, commiseration, friend- 
ship, admiration, devotion, adoration. 

It is not the nature of mankind to live an iso- 
lated existence, in loneliness. Boys and girls, 
men and women, from the beginning of life to the 
end, yearn for the companionship of others with 
whom they can share their thoughts and feelings, 
their pleasures and their pains. Through asso- 

83 



HEART AND SOUL 

ciation with others come affectionate feelings for 
certain ones. We attach ourselves to them with 
bonds of sympathy, understanding, love. 

The feeling of affection is such a normal and 
essential part of human life that it seeks to find 
expression at every opportunity. A warm-hearted 
child will lavish it on a kitten, or a rag doll; or 
will show it for a mongrel dog. If the kitten, or 
the dog is hurt, or sick, or even hungry, the girl 
or boy will be distressed by its trouble and want 
to help it. 

This is a primitive form of the feeling ; carried 
to its full development in the heart of a sensitive, 
noble nature it becomes one of the most beautiful 
and vital of human attributes. 

As we share our thoughts and feelings with an- 
other and are allowed to share his in return, our 
centre of interest expands, as it were, and the 
essence of life within us enriches itself by this 
sympathetic mingling with the essence of the 
other. His thoughts, his feelings, his welfare are 
no longer a matter of indifference to us. As our 
sympathy and attachment grow, we become more 
and more concerned in this other's interests; 
they become a part of our existence, in a 
strange and lovely way, just as real and just 
as dear to us as if they were our own. 
Any pleasure, or good fortune, becomes doubly 

84 



AFFECTION 

grateful, if we may share it with him ; no pleasure 
is worth considering, if in order to obtain it, we 
would be obliged to cause him a deprivation. We 
cannot forget his welfare, or his happiness, we 
do not wish to forget his welfare or his happiness, 
because through our sympathy and affection, the 
essence of another life has become inexpressively 
near and dear to us. 

To a greater or less degree, this capacity for 
affection is inherent in human kind, from the low- 
est to the highest. It is a most precious human 
quality and it opens the gates of life to a sort 
of satisfaction that is infinitely bigger and finer 
and more lasting than anything that can be ob- 
tained from the mere gratification of selfish and 
material impulses. 

Now, while it is true that practically everybody 
is aware of this feeling and has a need for affec- 
tion and sympathy, not all people by any means 
have big enough hearts, or fine enough natures, to 
respond to the need very deeply. Cold, superfi- 
cial, self-centred people may go through life giv- 
ing a very small modicum of sympathy or affection 
to anybody and receiving very little in return. 
Many a man is incapable and unworthy of being 
a real true friend to anybody. He may have 
brains and breeding and plenty of animal desires, 
but in his heart there is no understanding of what 

85 



HEAET AND SOUL 

it means to be devoted to a welfare not his own. 
The same is true no doubt of a great many wo- 
men, those whose characters are too fickle and 
unstable to permit of any deep and lasting attach- 
ment. Fortunately, even in the case of such men 
and women, if they marry and have children, some 
of the joy and meaning of this heart-life is still 
vouchsafed them. They feel it for their sons and 
daughters. 

If they have no children and are unmarried, 
there are mothers and fathers, brothers and sis- 
ters to keep alive some measure of sympathy and 
endearment. A human being who is totally be- 
reft of such attachments, without any feeling that 
comes from the heart for any one, is such a rare 
exception that he need not be considered. Such 
lives, if they do exist, would appear to normal 
beings as very pitiful. 

As a usual thing, for most of us, the affections 
are constantly in operation. Certain people who 
are near and dear to us are never really out of 
our lives at all. Consciously or subconsciously, 
we carry them with us wherever we go, tucked 
away in our hearts, ready to rise up at the slight- 
est provocation and take a vital part in our inner- 
most deliberations. 

A little boy or girl of the right sort, with the 
right kind of loving parents, grows up naturally 

86 



AFFECTION 

with this feeling for them. In all sorts of new 
experiences and questions of conduct, the thought 
comes spontaneously: "What will mother think 
about this?" "She '11 be terribly surprised when 
I tell her that." "Father will be pleased and 
proud when he knows what I Ve done. " " I do n't 
think she 'd approve of that." "He '11 laugh at 
me, when he hears this. ' ' And so forth and so on, 
countless times, in countless connections. 

Mothers and fathers carry around a similar 
feeling with regard to their children. Things that 
they see, things that they hear, things that they 
read, plans and projects of all kinds, are spon- 
taneously colored by the consideration of their 
effect on the son or daughter — surprise, pleasure, 
disappointment, good or ill. 

The same thing takes place to a remarkable ex- 
tent between a man and a woman who love each 
other deeply. Nothing of importance can happen 
to one, without an immediate reflection of the 
effect and bearing it will have on the other. A 
frequent result of this is that, in order to give 
pleasure to the other, one will act contrary to 
his own selfish inclination. And the anticipation 
of this pleasure to be given to the other can be 
strong enough to transform this denial and depri- 
vation of self into a sweeter and finer form of 
satisfaction. 

87 



HEABT AND SOUL 

This same order of feeling, based on sympathy 
and affection, springing from the heart, extends 
and ramifies and attaches itself in a great variety 
of ways, in the life of a human being, as we have 
already suggested. 

While instances of complete devotion of one na- 
ture to another are comparatively rare, in any 
walk of life, and while most individuals are lack- 
ing in the bigness of heart and depth of feeling 
to be capable of it, under any circumstances, the 
importance of affection comes home to nearly 
everybody, to greater or less extent, and is trea- 
sured up as one of the essentials of life. 

As a result of this human sympathy and affec- 
tion, it would seem only natural and obvious that 
there should come to everyone a realization of 
the fact that in many of the things we do, for 
our own good or ill, other people besides our- 
selves can't help being concerned. We may, by 
thinking only of our own inclinations and seek- 
ing to gain our selfish ends, be doing great harm 
and injustice to them. If other people are affected 
by what we do, and they have feelings of the same 
sort as ours, are not they, too, entitled to some 
consideration ? 

This idea seems so simple and evident that any 
thinking person might be expected to admit it 
and understand it. Yet, as we have seen repeat- 

88 



AFFECTION 

edly in discussing the attitude of the new genera- 
tion, it is one of the questions about which there 
prevails the greatest misconception and confu- 
sion of mind. Up-to-date young people, absorbed 
in the habit of doing what they like and deciding 
for themselves, very easily fall into the way of 
overlooking this consideration almost entirely. 
They fail to grasp the importance of the part that 
sympathy and affection have been assigned to 
play in their own natures; and at the same time 
they lose sight of the feelings and interests of 
others who must be affected by the consequences 
of their acts. Lack of consideration for others has 
come to be spoken of currently as one of the 
marked characteristics of this new generation. 

For this reason, if for no other, it may be just 
as well to linger on the subject and make ex- 
planations doubly plain, rather than leave any 
possible ground for a continuation of the confu- 
sion and misunderstanding. 

Suppose you were walking along a country 
road and you came upon a nice little boy, named 
Harry, one of your neighbor's sons, and Harry 
was sitting hunched up on a stump, sniffling and 
sobbing, with tears streaming down his cheeks. 
Upon enquiring the cause of his trouble, you learn 
that a bigger boy, Jake, had taken away Harry's 
apple. Strictly speaking, the apple did n 't belong 

89 



HEART AND SOUL 

to either of them, but Harry had spied it on the 
tree and after a great deal of determined effort 
had managed to climb out on the branch and shake 
it down. Then Jake came along and took it. 

Now, to see a little fellow sobbing with disap- 
pointment, deprived of something his heart was 
set on and which he had worked hard to get, is 
enough to arouse a feeling of sympathy in any 
normal and kindly person. You feel sorry for 
Harry and you'd like to do something for him. 

Suppose you happen to look along the road, 
just then, and you spy Jake seated on a fence rail 
with an air of contentment, proceeding to eat the 
apple — what would you feel like doing and saying 
to him? Suppose you controlled yourself and 
asked him quietly why he took that apple away 
from Harry, and he replied, with a defiant grin 
1 'Because I wanted it. I like apples, and this is 
a fine big one I" If you continue to talk quietly to 
Jake, and show him Harry sobbing on the stump, 
and make him realize the situation, as like as 
not it will end up by Jake's saying: "All right — 
if he feels as bad as that, let him have it. I did n't 
know he was that kind of a cry baby." And he 
will pass up his own inclination, rather than cause 
that much harm to another. 

That is a very primitive example which illus- 
trates the principle in its simplest form. In the 

90 



AFFECTION 

first place you are moved by sympathy and con- 
sideration for another, when you feel sorry for 
Harry and want to help him, and so is Jake when 
he is willing to forego his own desire for Harry's 
sake — although he lacked consideration in the 
first place, in taking something on which another's 
heart was set. 

Here is another example: 

A boy, George, is an only son and very dear to 
his parents, who have watched over him always 
with loving care. During the summer vacation, 
George has been invited to make a week's visit 
at the home of a school-mate which is in another 
state. The trip is a longer and more complicated 
one than George has ever undertaken by himself, 
and his mother cannot help feeling apprehensive 
and anxious at the thought of possible accidents 
and emergencies which may occur. It involves a 
night run on a steamboat, a railroad journey and 
a long automobile ride through mountainous 
country. The mother, not wishing to stand in the 
way of her boy's pleasure, gives a reluctant con- 
sent. She makes no attempt to disguise the anxiety 
she will feel while he is on the way, and impresses 
on his mind the importance of sending her a tele- 
gram, as soon as he has arrived safely at his des- 
tination. George laughs at her fears, boy-fashion, 
and promises to do as she wishes. 

91 



HEAET AND SOUL 

No sooner has he started on his way, than the 
mother's heart enters upon a period of increasing 
perturbation. Suppose something should happen 
to the steamer — that it should break down, or catch 
fire, or run on a reef — or that there should be a 
railroad accident — or that George should lose 
his ticket, or be robbed of his money and find him- 
self in some far-away spot, not knowing what to 
do with no one to go to! Then that long motor 
ride through deserted country — suppose it should 
be raining and the roads slippery and they should 
try to make it too fast? So many things are 
among the possibilities, and one can never be 
sure until it is over. 

Some people might feel inclined to smile at this 
account of a mother's apprehension, but it is only 
a natural attribute of devoted love, ineffably 
sweet and beautiful. While the precious child is 
exposed to possible dangers, she cannot help feel- 
ing thus. She talks to the father about it, want- 
ing the comfort of his reassurance; and she lies 
awake that night imagining things and counting 
the hours that must separate her from the tele- 
gram announcing George's safety. 

At last the time comes when, according to 
schedule, she may expect the message. She waits 
about, in momentary suspense, for the telephone 
ring from Western Union. 

92 



AFFECTION 

Now suppose the minutes pass and then the 
hours, until the mother's apprehension grows into 
feverish and unreasoning alarm. She gets word 
to her husband and communicates her alarm to 
him. As more time passes, the conviction comes 
that something has happened to their son, and 
something must be done. They attempt to get a 
long distance telephone connection with the home 
of George's friend, but after a long delay and 
various appeals, the report comes that there is a 
break-down on the line somewhere, in the moun- 
tain section. They get in communication with the 
steamboat offices and the railroad station, and 
after interminable efforts finally ascertain that 
there has been no accident on either line. There 
remains the motor trip — or the possibility of a 
personal mishap to George at some stage of the 
journey — and no way of telling. In the end, they 
send a telegram to the mother of George's friend, 
and resign themselves to wait, in an agony of sus- 
pense for the answer. 

Individuals who are phlegmatic, matter-of-fact, 
and not very intense in their feelings might be in- 
clined to ridicule this anxiety and suffering on 
the part of the parents, for so slight a cause; 
they would fail to understand it. But any mother 
with children of her own would understand per- 

93 



HEAET AND SOUL 

fectly and be moved to genuine and heart-felt 
sympathy. 

The condition of George's mother would natur- 
ally evoke the same sort of compassion as the 
spectacle of Harry on the tree stump, sobbing for 
his apple. 

But what of the Jake, in this case — the prime 
factor of the problem? The Jake in this case, of 
course, is no other than our only son, George. 
No trouble of any sort was experienced by him 
in the various stages of his journey. Upon his 
arrival, there were a number of new people to 
meet and various elements of interest in the new 
surroundings to occupy his attention. For the 
time being, he forgot to think of the mother he 
had left behind. 

Hours later, as they are starting a game of 
tennis, it suddenly occurs to him that he has not 
yet sent his telegram home, but as it would be a 
bother to go back to the house now and he feels 
like going ahead with the tennis game, he makes 
a mental note and puts it off. It is not until din- 
ner time that he thinks of it again and when he 
finds that the telephone is out of order and he 
would have to motor in to the telegraph office, 
its doesn't seem worth the trouble. He has al- 
lowed so much time to go by already that he 
decides the most satisfactory way out of it is to 

94 



AFFECTION 

wait until he finds time to write a letter and ex- 
plain, as an excuse for not keeping his promise, 
that the telephone wasn't working. 

Before he has an opportunity to write his let- 
ter, the telegram arrives from home disclosing 
his mother's anxiety — whereupon he feels 
ashamed and sorry, and hurries to the telegraph 
office to send a reply. 

This is a more or less typical example of a 
great many cases where lack of consideration for 
others is not necessarily due to a lack of affection 
or sympathy, but comes from a lack of thought- 
fulness and understanding. George may love his 
mother very much and he would not voluntarily 
hurt her feelings, or be the cause of her suffering. 
The sight of his mother in tears would cause 
him unhappiness and he would gladly make 
a real sacrifice in order to comfort her. But 
the sight of his mother's suffering, or the 
thought of his mother's suffering, is not before 
him — it does not enter into his calculations or 
motives of conduct. In order for this to take 
place, a certain amount of reflection and imagina- 
tion is required on his part. 

In the case of Harry and Jake and the apple, 
we assumed that some one came along and called 
Jake's attention to the unhappiness of Harry. 

95 



HEAET AND SOUL 

When Jake was made to see and realize, he re- 
sponded with a feeling of consideration. 

But in the case of George and the vast majority 
of cases where this question is involved, no one 
comes along to explain to you. If the pleasure 
or pain of others is involved in what you do, the 
thought of that must come from yourself. Very 
often those others are not present at the time and 
the consequences may not be immediately and 
superficially apparent. Imagination, reflection, 
and a habit of mind, may be needed to realize the 
effect upon them. 

Suppose you have a friend named Brown whom 
you have known many years and have a good deal 
of affection for. An unexpected opportunity of- 
fers for you to get a week's hunting in the South 
and you think how fine it would be, if you can get 
the right sort of companion to share it with you. 
You see Brown, tell him about it, invite him and 
he accepts. You immediately start in making 
plans and arrangements — dogs, guns, food, drinks 
— leaving nothing undone to make it a bang-up 
affair and give Brown and yourself the time of 
your lives. Now suppose when you have fixed 
up everything and are waiting in joyful anticipa- 
tion for the hour to arrive, you receive word from 
Brown, with apologies and a lame excuse, that 
he must deprive himself of the pleasure of going 

96 



AFFECTION 

with you? And suppose you discover later, in an 
accidental way, that the real reason Brown left 
you flat was because something else turned up that 
appealed to him more and he was thinking only 
of himself? 

Suppose, now, you are a society lady, or a so- 
ciety man, and you have accepted an invitation 
from a woman friend to motor out to her country 
place and dine and spend the night — and suppose 
when the day arrives, you are offered a box at the 
opera, that night, to hear Caruso'? As this ap- 
peals to you much more than the other, you send 
a wire to the country at the last minute, pretending 
an indisposition, and go to the opera, What of 
the woman friend — who had made special efforts 
and invited certain people on your account, and 
had counted on you as a main consideration in her 
whole affair? Your absence upsets her complete- 
ly, spoils her party, and robs her of something 
on which she had spent a good deal of time and 
effort and on which her heart was set. 

If she ever discovers or suspects the true reason 
for your desertion, you will have inflicted a wound 
in her feelings that few friendships can survive 
and the loss of a friend in this world is hardly to 
be regarded as a trifling matter. 

These few examples which we have cited and 
a countless multitude of others, of a more or less 

97 



HEAET AND SOUL 

similar nature, which might be drawn from the 
everyday experiences of any human being, tend 
to make plain the palpable truth — that very often 
other people besides ourselves are concerned in 
our actions and we do violence to our better feel- 
ings and theirs, if we leave them out of considera- 
tion. Even up-to-date young people of the most 
selfish order can hardly fail to recognize that and 
admit it, in certain instances — when the others 
are before their eyes, or the effect upon them is 
so direct and immediate that it cannot escape 
their attention. In such instances they respond 
instinctively to the finer side of their natures, 
where sympathy and affection are found. But 
just as soon as an effort of reflection and imagina- 
tion is required to realize this same effect on 
others, there is no longer the same response. 
The will and the faculty to do this appear, some- 
how, to be lacking; so that they lose sight of this 
consideration very easily, and leave it out of ac- 
count as a controlling influence. Some one else 
has to direct their attention, do the thinking for 
them and appeal to their feelings, in order to re- 
store the equilibrium. 

This difficulty of voluntary reflection and under- 
standing on their part is still greater when it 
comes to another phase of the question, which is 
one degree more complicated, but no less vital 

98 



AFFECTION 

in its bearing on the affections. You cannot do 
evil things, or act in such a way as will bring 
harmful consequences upon yourself, without 
causing suffering to those who love you. If your 
mother is very sweet and gentle and loves you 
devotedly and you have a good deal of tender 
affection for her, you would not think of striking 
her a blow on the face with your clenched fist. No 
impulse within you, however selfish, could make 
you do that. Yet the pain from such a blow 
would be as nothing compared to the suffering 
you might cause her by smoking opium or snif- 
fing cocaine or doing something dishonorable, 
like forging your father's signature. 

None of these things affect her directly or per- 
sonally, but sympathetically, through her love for 
you. 

So it is in the case of the boy who, after prom- 
ising not to drive over thirty miles an hour, goes 
speeding on the highway and gets arrested. The 
fine which has to be paid by father is an infin- 
itismal part of the harm and hurt which is caused 
the parents. 

You cannot sit in a draft and catch a heavy 
cold, without causing a certain amount of anxiety 
and distress to your sister, or your wife, who are 
devoted to you — if it runs into pneumonia, the 
hurt to them is greater; and if you happen to die 

99 



HEART AND SOUL 

of it, that may release you from further suffer- 
ing, only to make theirs heaviest of all. 

I went to a dance, last summer, at the home of 
a young married couple in a fashionable com- 
munity. The hostess was rather an extreme ex- 
ample of the up-to-date school, with the well 
formed habit of looking at things from the point- 
of-view of her own inclinations. 

After the dancing had been going on a short 
while, she found she was not in the humor for 
it; the men who asked her to dance didn't interest 
her, and she felt like going to bed. Being a firm 
believer in individualism and thinking only of 
herself, she quietly withdrew and went to bed. 

A number of her guests had not yet arrived. 
When they did and sought to greet their hostess, 
inquiries were made and in the end everybody was 
apprised of her behavior. She imagined that it 
concerned only herself, whereas the sympathy, 
affection, the kindly attitude which all those peo- 
ple were disposed to have for her suffered a 
shock. A touch of resentment and antipathy was 
left behind which would make itself felt in future 
relations. The sympathy and affection of those 
about us is a part of life too precious and neces- 
sary to our well-being to be lightly cast aside. 
The loss to us and to them, however trifling in 

100 



AFFECTION 

any one instance, may in the course of time in- 
volve lasting consequences. 

In the various examples we have cited so far, 
it has been a question of hurting or depriving 
others, through lack of consideration. A similar 
motive comes into play in prompting us to bestow 
pleasure upon others. Human sympathy causes 
us to delight in the joy of those we love, just as 
their sorrow saddens us. "We like to give them 
presents, prepare surprises for them, devise ways 
and means of adding to their happiness. Such 
acts on our part are usually accompanied by a 
very sweet and lovely feeling of sentiment. Our 
hearts are warmed by the thought and sight of 
this good that is coming to those we love. Some 
cynical and shallow reasoners like to argue that 
such acts are only a disguised form of selfishness 
because, as we have a sympathetic share in the 
pleasure, we benefit by it, ourselves. Any such 
argument is usually found to be no more than a 
quibble on words and a pretense of cleverness. 
Nevertheless, as this sort of talk is liable to crop 
up at any time, in connection with human motives, 
and cause a confusion of idea, it may be just as 
well to pause for a moment and dispose of it. 

If you find our little friend Harry sobbing on 
a tree stump because he has lost his apple, you 
feel sorry for him — because you understand and 

101 



HEAET AND SOUL 

sympathize. If you had an apple in your pocket, 
you would give it to him. You are not thinking 
of yourself — you are thinking of him. If Jake 
comes along and restores the apple and Harry 
stops crying and offers Jake half, the feeling of 
gladness that comes to you has nothing selfish in 
it at all. There is no motive or calculation of self- 
gratification in the sentiments you have experi- 
enced. They are inspired, not by the thought of 
your own welfare, but the welfare of another. The 
essence of them is sympathy and affection. 

So it is with countless acts of kindness which 
frequently involve the need of denying our sel- 
fish inclinations — depriving ourselves of personal 
gratifications — for the sake of helping others who 
are in trouble, or bringing pleasure to those we 
love. The first consideration — the true determ- 
ining motive — is not any thought of the benefit to 
ourselves, but the benefit to them. In every-day 
language the word used to characterize such acts 
and feelings is generosity — and this is properly 
and popularly considered the exact opposite of 
selfishness. 

Now because it has been observed by thought- 
ful people that acts of generosity are frequently 
accompanied by a feeling of satisfaction and glad- 
ness, this fact has been seized upon by a certain 
order of cold-blooded individuals as a pretext for 

102 



AFFECTION 

distorting the truth. They argue that this feel- 
ing of satisfaction with yourself which comes from 
generosity is such a desirable thing in your eyes 
that you want it for yourself — consequently when 
you show kindness and sympathy for others you 
are obeying the same motive as the cynic, himself, 
who having small sympathy for others, prefers 
the frank gratification of his own ego. This, of 
course, is pure sophistry. But if any mind is so 
kinked that it must reason that way, there is a 
simple answer which will suffice to bring it through 
the question to the main point. Whenever the 
pleasure to be derived by an individual comes to 
him through sympathy and affection and con- 
sideration for the feelings of another — that sort 
of pleasure is so different in its origin and its 
essence from the pleasure which comes from the 
gratification of personal appetites and desires 
that the mass of mankind has recognized the dif- 
ference since the beginning of civilization. 

One kind of pleasure flows from acts of senti- 
ment for others ' sake ; the other kind is rooted in 
the indulgence of personal desires. The essence 
of one is usually characterized as generosity; the 
other, selfishness. If the cynic will promise to 
keep the distinction clear in his head and stop 
confusing himself with quibbles or words, he may 
call the motives any names he likes. 

103 



HEART AND SOUL 

This question of consideration for others is so 
important and far-reaching in its effect on human 
lives that no pains should be spared to keep it 
from being lost sight of or misunderstood. And 
yet, as we have observed, at the present time, 
among up-to-date individuals, it is apparently be- 
ing lost sight of, more and more. In a general 
way, it is being bunched with those other old- 
fashioned notions and conventions that were wont 
to interfere with the freedom of the individual. 
Why should an emancipated ego, brought up in 
the modern way, be constantly bothered by the 
thought of others f 

If we pause and examine this attitude of mind, 
dispassionately, from another angle, a possible 
explanation suggests itself. There may be two 
reasons, of a distinct and different sort why any 
given person might fail to feel the significance 
of so vital a part of life. 

In the first place, some natures may be rather 
lacking in the qualities of affection and sympathy. 
All people are not alike, in this respect, by any 
means. Some are instinctively warm-hearted and 
intense in their feelings — others are naturally in- 
clined to coldness and indifference. To a cold na- 
ture, the woes or pleasures of others are of com- 
paratively minor consequence. There is no rush 
of heart-felt sympathy, if the supply is so thin 

104 



AFFECTION 

and weak that it hardly suffices for the needs of 
self. 

That is one explanation of how certain natures, 
if left to their own resources, can be lacking in 
consideration. 

But if we are right in assuming that the gen- 
eral run of human nature is much the same to-day 
as it has always been, there ought to be the same 
instincts of sympathy and affection, the same kind 
of warm-hearts among our new generation, as 
there were in the time of our grandmothers. As 
consideration for others is founded on these, there 
must be some other explanation for the lack of 
consideration which is a growing tendency, obvi- 
ous to all. 

The truth of the matter seems to be that con- 
sideration for others is not a primitive instinct 
like hunger or thirst; nor is it a simple, inborn 
quality or impulse, like affection or sympathy. It 
requires a certain amount of thoughtfulness, re- 
flection and control of self, in order to trans- 
fer one's attention from one's own inclination 
and interest to the welfare of another, especially 
when that other is not at hand to offer a reminder 
or make an appeal. 

But under proper guidance, through enlight- 
enment and constant exercise, this faculty is sus- 
ceptible of such development that it may in time 

105 



HEART AND SOUL 

permeate the mind, become an essential part of 
the character, a sort of second nature, just as real 
and solid, and infinitely more lovely than the in- 
stincts which it dominates. 

The capacity and capability necessary for this 
development are present to a greater or less ex- 
tent in all human natures. But through neglect 
and mismanagement and lack of enlightenment 
and exercise, they may shrivel and fade and con- 
tribute very little to beauty of character, or the 
joy of living. 

In the light of the foregoing observations, there 
is nothing in the attitude of the new generation 
toward this whole question which remains incom- 
prehensible, or even very puzzling. Their ad- 
vanced ideas, when sifted down, would seem to 
signify no more than insufficient development of 
the finer and better side of their natures, and a 
lack of understanding concerning the important 
role which affection and sympathy are capable ot 
playing in the search for happiness. This part 
of their training and education has been neglected, 
somehow, in the confusion arising from lost tra- 
ditions and standards. An essential and beauti- 
ful part of their humanity has been allowed to 
shrivel away until it has been lost sight of in their 
calculations. 

In all the past periods of our civilization, when 

106 



AFFECTION 

obedience and discipline held sway, no such over- 
sight was likely to occnr. One of the first lessons 
repeatedly and forcibly impressed upon every 
growing individual was the necessity of consider- 
ing other people's wishes. There were three peo- 
ple at least, who had always to be considered — 
mother, father and God. Consideration of these 
would be rewarded and lack of consideration, 
sooner or later, was sure to bring punishment. 

In this old-fashioned way — crudely, if you will, 
but nevertheless with relative effectiveness — a 
habit of mind, was established, involving self-con- 
trol, which readily became second nature. It be- 
came almost instinctive to pause in the presence 
of temptation or selfish inclination, and consider 
the effect upon others. Once this habit was 
formed, the teachings of mother and father, of 
Sunday school, church and Bible all tended to 
develop it and extend its application — love your 
fellows, let your sympathy and affection flow out 
to them, consider their welfare, in all that you do, 
and you will be blessed and happy. 

How is that habit of mind — that second nature 
— being acquired to-day and how will it be ac- 
quired in the future, among people who have 
ceased to respect the traditions of the past and 
are pleased to accept the idea of the freedom of 

107 



HEART AND SOUL 

the individual, the right to gratify yourself and 
every inclination, without fear or favor? 

Must there be a return to the old-fashioned 
methods and beliefs? Nothing is more unlikely. 
As a reaction against the present tendency, there 
may be efforts on the part of some well-intentioned 
people to return to the regime of obedience, disci- 
pline and the fear of God. But such reactions 
do not usually last very long. The next step that 
will help toward the real solution of the problem 
must be forward, not backward. The underlying 
reason why the old formulas have been losing their 
prestige is probably because there were fallacies 
and crudities contained in them which humanity 
has outgrown. 

You might look back with longing to the happy 
state you were in when you believed in Santa 
Claus, but after you have reached a certain age, 
all the king's horses and all the king's men can- 
not bring Santa Claus back to you again. 



108 



FAITH 

IF the life of man were confined to the exercise 
of his senses and material instincts, there 
would be no problems of conduct. There would be 
perceptions and sensations, — some pleasant, 
others disagreeable. Appetites and desires would 
make themselves felt and he would seek to satisfy 
them. 

The underlying motive of all his acts would be to 
prolong life, go toward pleasure and away from 
pain. 

All about us are living things — plants, fish, 
animals — whose existence, as far as we know, 
seems limited to these simple considerations. They 
form part of man's life — one side of his nature — 
the animal side. 

If, in addition to this life of the senses, we con- 
cede to man a brain, a thinking apparatus, which 
enables him to remember, compare, calculate, 
the question of his conduct at any given time is 
apt to become more complicated, through consid- 

109 



HEART AND SOUL 

erations of reason. As we have seen in onr pre- 
vious discussions, his brain may decide him to 
forego a present pleasure, in order to escape a 
future pain; or to endure a present pain, for the 
sake of a future pleasure. 

Still, the mere addition of a reasoning mind, 
would in no way alter the nature of the under- 
lying motive. The considerations would still re- 
main purely animal — prolonging life, getting the 
greatest sum of pleasure, avoiding the greatest 
sum of pain. 

It is not until we begin to take note of the sym- 
pathies, affections, generous emotions of which 
man is capable, that we recognize another and 
inner nature, which may be concerned and moved 
by considerations that don't depend upon sensa- 
tions, or selfish instincts and are not, in their very 
essence, animal at all. In every day language, this 
is the heart and the heart-life of man. It is as 
far removed from the brain, as it is from the 
senses, The brainiest people may be the least 
affectionate and the least generous — just as the 
most sensual people may so be. 

We have seen, in discussing this side of human 
nature, the bearing it has on the conduct of the 
individual. More delicate and more complicated 
motives and considerations are introduced into 
the problem through its influence. Its essence 

110 



FAITH 

is sweeter, finer, less obvious and more elevating 
than the instincts which the brute beasts share 
with us. 

But sensations, calculations and sympathetic 
emotions are still not enough to explain some of 
the most important questions and decisions that 
enter into the life of man. Above and beyond 
all these, deeper, vaguer, more complicated and 
more inspiring, is another function or quality — 
another side of his nature — which distinguishes 
him completely from all the other earthly crea- 
tures. This is the spiritual side, the soul, — the 
home of conscience, honor, responsibility, ideal- 
ism. 

Let us begin with some simple examples: 

If a big bully kicks a little boy ; or a man deserts 
his friend in the hour of need; or an innocent 
person is sent to prison; — a feeling of protest 
arises within me. It tells me such things ought 
not to be. They are not right, they are wrong. 

My self-interest has nothing to do with it. As 
far as I am personally concerned, none of these 
things makes the slightest difference. 

If I turn to my intellect, that offers me no ex- 
planation. It tells me that the bully is only obey- 
ing his natural instincts, in the same way a cat 
does when it springs on a mouse. It is logical 
and proper for each and every living thing to act 

111 



HEAET AND SOUL 

in accordance with its impulses. As for the man 
who deserts his friend, he is merely looking out 
for himself — a perfectly reasonable thing for any 
one to do. When we come to the third case, my 
intellect tells me that the person sent to prison 
was given a fair trial in accordance with the laws 
— the evidence was against him — and he was ad- 
judged guilty. Because I happen to know that 
he was innocent, does that make the occurrence 
any less reasonable? As I was not concerned in 
it, I cannot be held accountable, so what differ- 
ence does it make to me? 

My affections give me the same negative re- 
sponse as my self-interest and my reason. The 
bully, the small boy; the man and his friend; the 
innocent person — they are strangers to me; no 
personal attachment applies to any of them. 

And yet the feeling within me is unmistakable. 
Where does it come from? That other side of 
my nature, where dwells the sense of right and 
wrong. 

It is just as vague and mysterious, but just as 
real as another kind of sense to which it may be 
compared. This other sense also baffles the in- 
tellect, but it is none the less generally recog- 
nized and accepted. 

Certain kinds of music, sunsets, moonlight 
nights, paintings, arouse in me a delicate feel- 

112 



FAITH 

ing of pleasure, mixed with admiration. It is not 
only my physical sensations which are involved — 
my eyes and my ears— but something deeper 
within me which seems to be quite apart from rea- 
son or intellect. 

Also my interest and attention are by no means 
confined to the sensations which I am experienc- 
ing; I consider the things themselves and call 
them beautiful. Certain other sounds and sights 
strike me as discordant, or unpleasant, and I call 
them ugly. And the faculty within me which de- 
termines this, I call a sense of Beauty. 

In the same way, this other sense within me is 
appealed to by certain deeds and qualities of men. 
That which is fine, just, generous, noble, I call 
right; another sort of thing, of a contrary tend- 
ency, I call wrong. And the faculty, itself, I call 
a sense of right and wrong. 

Suppose an individual walking along a road, 
wondering how he is going to raise fifty dollars 
which he needs very badly, comes upon an auto- 
mobile standing in a lonely spot; and then sees a 
lady who has been picking wild-flowers, get into 
the automobile and after fussing with her flowers, 
her wrap, her hand-bag and handkerchief, let drop 
some small object to the ground, before driv- 
ing away. He strolls up to the spot and picks 
up the object, which proves to be a purse con- 

113 



HEABT AND SOUL 

taining eighty dollars in bank-notes. There is 
no one in sight, and after a moment's hesitation, 
obeying an impulse of self-interest, he pockets the 
money, throws the purse into the brushes and 
turns his steps another way. 

As far as his self-interest and his intellect are 
concerned, they agree in telling him he is very 
lucky. He has obtained the money which he 
wanted, he has broken no law, and there is not the 
slightest risk or danger of any sort involved in 
his conduct. He can pay his debt and have money 
to spare, with every reason to feel happy over his 
good fortune. 

But if the spiritual side of his nature is at all 
developed, he is apt to be tormented by a vague, 
persistent feeling of another kind. It tells him 
he has done something unworthy of his better 
self. In every day language, we say he is troubled 
by his conscience. 

It not infrequently happens that individuals 
who have done wrong are so affected by this feel- 
ing that they make restitution and confession 
when they are safely beyond the reach of detec- 
tion. 

Neither the intellect nor self-interest plays any 
part in such conduct, which is contrary to the ad- 
vice of both. It is inspired uniquely by this soul- 
feeling, called conscience. 

114 



FAITH 

Slightly different from this, but belonging to 
the same family, is the sentiment of honor. 

A number of years ago, a young man whom I 
knew, happened to go to a notorious gambling 
house in New York, with a couple of companions. 
One of these young men was a member of a 
wealthy family and had been frequently to this 
place, where he was always most welcome. My 
friend held a clerical position in a financial in- 
stitution, was making his own living, and at the 
time had about fifteen hundred dollars in the bank, 
which represented his entire worldly assets. It 
was late at night, the young men had been to a 
party and were in rather a hilarious and reck- 
less mood when they started playing roulette. 
After they used up the money they had with 
them, they were allowed to continue playing on 
credit, chips being supplied to them as called for. 
My friend, after losing more than he could afford, 
was urged by desperation to keep on trying to 
recoup, and when he finally left the house, in the 
early hours of the morning, he had lost ten thou- 
sand dollars. That was the situation which faced 
him in his sober senses, the next day. 

A gambling debt has no standing in law. No 
legal claim of any kind could be made against him 
and he was perfectly aware of the fact. The pro- 
prietor of the establishment was a thoroughly un- 

115 



HEART AND SOUL 

scrupulous individual with a shady record, and 
the games played there were open to a suspicion 
of crookedness. My friend had previously been 
told that. He had only to let the loss go unpaid 
and ignore the whole incident, without the slight- 
est fear of consequences, so far as honest people 
were concerned. 

But this young man felt that such conduct would 
not be honorable. So he went to the place again, 
explained to the proprietor his financial situation 
and promised to pay off as much as he could, year 
by year, until the debt was cancelled. It took him 
five years to accomplish this, and during that time, 
he stuck faithfully to a resolve not to touch a card 
or gamble in any way. Later on the young man 
became vice-president of one of the largest finan- 
cial institutions in America, a position which he 
still holds. He had then, and still has a sense 
of honor. 

Many a gentleman of good breeding and fine 
feelings has told deliberate lies and perjured him- 
self under oath, in order to shield the reputation 
of a lady. Even though he may be under no per- 
sonal obligation to the lady in question, but merely 
an accidental witness of some occurrence, a cer- 
tain kind of man feels compelled by his sense of 
honor to protect her. It is not honest to tell a 
lie, it is a legal offense to perjure one's self; there 

116 



FAITH 

is no reason of the intellect to make you bear 
false witness and defeat the ends of justice for 
the sake of an individual, who may have done 
wrong and be deserving of punishment. 

Yet so it is and among those who share this 
sense there is a beauty and nobility about such 
conduct which is akin to that of a sunset or moon- 
lit night. 

Let us take an example of a more common- 
place kind in the business world. Suppose a cer- 
tain individual, Jones, living in a small com-) 
munity has a coal yard. When the autumn comes, 
Jones's bins are piled high and in addition to this, 
Jones has several carloads of coal on a siding, 
and numerous other carloads in transit. Jones's 
brother, who is interested in a coal mine, has 
advised Jones that as there is prospect of a 
miner's strike, he had better get his full winter's 
supply in advance, with a little extra and this 
has been so arranged. The strike takes place as 
predicted and then owing to war conditions in 
Europe, there comes a coal shortage throughout 
the land. 

With the arrival of the first touch of winter 
various people in the community begin sending 
orders to Jones. In the meantime, he has been do- 
ing a little thinking. His customers have got to 
have coal and they've got to buy it from him. 

117 



HEART AND SOUL 

Under existing conditions, there is no other way 
for them to procure it, at any price. So to speak, 
he holds them in the hollow of his hand. 

His entire supply has cost him five dollars a 
ton and he had figured to sell it at six, which 
would allow him his usual satisfactory profit. But 
now it dawns upon him that if he refuses to sell 
a single ton of it for less than twenty dollars, his 
people will have to pay that, or freeze, and he 
will make more profit in this one winter than all 
the rest of the years put together. 

So he makes up his mind to put up his price to 
twenty dollars and to meet all complaints by 
replying with a shrug that he is not asking any 
one to buy — they are free to get their coal else- 
where. 

Is not Jones perfectly honest?' Would any 
business man of the present day blame him? Is 
he not entitled to make all the money he can, in 
accordance with the laws? Is there not every 
reason for his intellect to approve of his shrewd- 
ness in taking advantage of his opportunity? 

But suppose Jones's mother is a sweet, old- 
fashioned lady whom he has always loved and 
revered; and suppose upon learning of the situa- 
tion, she calls her son to her side, takes his hand 
in hers and talks to him in this wise : 

"My son, these people are all dependent upon 

118 



FAITH 

you, to keep from freezing. They are entirely at 
your mercy. To take advantage of helpless peo- 
ple and fleece them of their savings, because un- 
expected circumstances have placed them in your 
power, is not the kind of thing I could bear to 
see you do. It does not seem to me quite worthy 
or honorable. ' ' 

I have imagined it to be Jones's mother speak- 
ing thus; but if Jones's father happened to be an 
old-fashioned gentleman of a certain type, or an 
artist, a poet, a musician, he might be moved by 
the same feeling — a matter, not of honesty, but 
of honor. 

Jones, however, being a typical business man 
of the present day, is not conscious of any such 
feeling. If by chance, an idea of this kind did 
creep into his head, he would dismiss it as 
quixotic, not practical. He believes that "busi- 
ness is business." If you ask him whether Shy- 
lock was right and justified in demanding his 
pound of flesh, he might hesitate a moment, but 
after thinking it over, he would probably reply: 

"If Shylock had a proper contract calling for 
such a penalty and had lent his money on those 
conditions, he was entirely within his rights. If 
the other parties weren't prepared to live up to 
the terms of the agreement, they had no busi- 
ness to sign their names to it. That was their 

119 



HEAET AND SOUL 

lookout. Their only recourse is to show some- 
thing irregular or illegal in the way it was drawn 
up and quash it on that count, or else settle up in 
accordance with its stipulations. Shyloek had 
performed his part of the agreement and he de- 
manded that the other party should do the same. ' ? 

If you questioned Jones further about himself, 
you might learn that he had always believed and 
practiced v the principle that " Honesty is the best 
policy," and nothing could swerve him from it. 
This has nothing to do with that inner feeling 
called a sentiment of honor. It is of a different 
essence entirely. When sifted down, it is found 
to consist of reason, experience and a matter-of- 
fact calculation of self-interest. If you don't 
cheat, or break the laws, and establish a reputa- 
tion for honest dealing, you will gain more by it 
in the long run than you lose. Nothing very in- 
spired or inspiring about that, or very different 
in kind from the principle of the crook who says : 
"If I take care to avoid detection, but pay no 
attention to right and wrong, I will gain more in 
the long run than I lose." 

The detail of the calculation is different, but 

the motive and object are the same — self-interest 

\ 

and self-advantage. The soul, the conscience, the 
sentiment of honor are not involved in either. 
During the late war, tens of thousands of indi- 

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FAITH 

viduals and corporations followed Jones's ex- 
ample and chuckled with glee as the undreamed- 
of profits rolled in. They took advantage of the 
situation and became what is known as profiteers. 
The brain and self-interest were acting over time, 
but the spiritual nature was slumbering. 

Suppose you are making a visit to a business 
friend and he leaves you alone in his office for a 
few minutes, while he is called out by some emer- 
gency — and suppose he has left on his desk an en- 
velope containing business secrets which you 
could profit by — and suppose you take advantage 
of your opportunity, open the envelope, glance at 
the papers, get the information and later on make 
good use of it? 

An individual who is capable of doing that must 
be rather lacking in the sense of honor. 

If a business man happened to tell his wife 
something of a confidential nature, as some hus- 
bands do, and the wife were indiscreet enough to 
mention it to your wife, without realizing its full 
import, and your wife repeated it to you, and you 
thereupon proceeded to communicate it to the 
business man's competitor — you might not break 
any law, or do anything dishonest, and your in- 
tellect might tell you there was profit for your- 
self to be gained by it — and many another per- 
son in your place might jump at the chance — but 

121 



HEABT AND SOUL 

for all that, there ought to be a feeling within 
you to prevent you doing it, because it would not 
be honorable. 

In the world of politics, some people might feel 
that it is not honorable to use a position of public 
trust for private ends. 

Suppose you have it in your power to make an 
appointment which might prove very lucrative to 
a certain type of individual who has no scruples 
about graft. Among your political henchmen 
there is just such an individual and he wants the 
appointment. There is another man whom you 
might appoint, if you chose to, a high-minded, 
public-spirited man, fitter and better for it in 
every way ; but the political henchman was an im- 
portant factor in obtaining for you the office which 
you now occupy; his good will and influence may 
be very helpful in your future campaigns, whereas 
the other man has done nothing for you and is 
without political influence. If you gave him the 
appointment, you would make an enemy of your 
henchman and his followers. Your self-interest 
and your intellect combine in showing you what a 
mistake that would be. 

Usually a politician, by the time he has been 
selected by other politicians as a candidate for 
office, has become amenable to reason and may be 
counted on to avoid such a mistake. But occa- 

122 



FAITH 

sionally a gentleman of another sort finds himself 
in this position and he refuses to do the usual 
thing, because it goes counter to an inner feeling 
— his sense of honor. 

So it is with countless other questions of con- 
duct, which at various times, in various communi- 
ties, with various individuals, involve this feel- 
ing. In some people it is highly developed and 
frequently determines the motive of conduct, in a 
fine, noble, compelling way which is directly op- 
posed to material considerations of self-interest. 
In other people, it is so feeble, and crude that its 
wee small voice is seldom heeded or heard in the 
calculations and decisions of their practical lives. 

In addition to the sentiments of honor and con- 
science and right and wrong, there are various 
other fine and noble feelings to which the soul of 
man is susceptible, to a greater or less extent, ac- 
cording to the individual nature. Self-respect, 
loyalty, gratitude, responsibility, self-sacrifice 
may be cited, by way of suggestion. 

Now, while there can be no doubt that human 
nature is capable of all these feelings and that in- 
dividuals have been found to possess them, in dif- 
ferent communities, at different times, it is equally 
obvious that among vast numbers of other in- 
dividuals they find little or no expression. 

There have been periods in the history of cer* 

123 



HEART AND SOUL 

tain peoples when nearly all the nobler sentiments 
seem to have shrivelled up. The Roman Empire, 
when it was in its decay; the upper classes of 
England, after the Restoration; France, during 
the period which preceded the Revolution — are 
examples of such a condition. The leading citi- 
zens appear to have thrown conscience to the 
winds and let themselves go, without restraint, 
to a life of dissipation, corruption, and the in- 
dulgence of the senses. 

Also in our country, among certain classes, in 
certain communities, it is quite apparent that the 
finer feelings, the moral standards, of the aver- 
age individual are at a lower ebb, than they seem 
to be in certain other sections. 

In view of these observations, it is fairly safe 
to conclude that the spiritual feelings of man are 
subject to alteration, through an influence or in- 
fluences of some sort. The same sort of influence 
that shows its general effect in a given class or 
community may be presumed to be at work on the 
nature or character of the individuals who com- 
pose that community. 

If the sentiment of honor, for instance, is a 
vital compelling force in one individual, and is 
so weak or deficient in another as to be a negli- 
gible quantity, what is the explanation of this dif- 
ference? What influence has developed the sen- 

124 



FAITH 

timent in one, and retarded or eliminated it in 
the other? On what does it depend? What causes 
it to come to life in the human soul? What good 
is it, when it does come ? 

The same questions apply to conscience, loy- 
alty, responsibility, right and wrong. Whence do 
they come — and what are they good for? 

These questions are simple to ask — but when 
one attempts to answer them in a simple, con- 
vincing way, they are found to be full of hidden 
depths and complexities. 

Down below them, is another question which is 
included in them all and which sooner or later 
must be faced by each and every one of us : " Why 
am I here on earth? Has my life any purpose in 
the great, everlasting scheme of things ? What is 
that purpose ?" 

Until we have arrived at some sort of an an- 
swer to that question, we cannot make much head- 
way in answering the others. 

If there were no purpose at all to an individual 
life, what difference would it make whether he 
had a conscience or not ? 

If his purpose is to get as much satisfaction out 
of life as he can, between his birth and his death, 
why shouldn't he go about it in any old way that 
suits himself? What real difference does it make 
whether he chooses to indulge in alcohol, opium, 

125 



HEAET AND SOUL 

and other dissipations for a short while, or pre- 
fers to prolong his span by sticking to wheat, po- 
tatoes and sobriety? Purely a matter of personal 
taste, to be decided by each individual for him- 
self. 

Suppose on account of his affections and sym- 
pathies for other individuals, the idea occurs to 
him that he was meant to serve them, also ? What 
real difference would that make if their lives had 
no other purpose, either? They will all be dead 
very soon, anyhow, whether you join with them 
in a mutual serving society, or not. If there is no 
other end in view for each and every one, but 
to live and die, what boots it? 

But suppose it might be that after death their 
spirits could live on, in an unknown world ? Even 
so, any service you happened to do for them, here, 
would hardly be counted in their favor, over there. 

But mightn't it be counted in your favor — over 
there? Isn't it possible that every kind and help- 
ful thing you do for your fellow men in your life 
on earth might be to the advantage of your spirit 
in the other world? 

Suppose it could be proved that this were the 
true purpose of life— to win benefit and glory for 
your spirit in the world beyond ? 

"Well," you might reply, " — if that is the way 
things stand, it would be putting a big premium 

126 



FAITH 

on canny foresight. A cold-blooded, utterly selfish 
individual could make his calculations accordingly 
and feather his future nest at every opportunity, 
while the rest of us poor devils who couldn't 
calculate so well would be piling up future trouble. 

"Is that what is meant by soul and conscience 
and honor! Does the ' spiritual side of man's na- 
ture/ when stripped of its camouflage, mean a 
shrewd calculation which seeks to gain a lasting 
reward for the spirit, after the body is used up ? ' ' 

In the face of such a question, of such a line of 
thought, there is something within us which re- 
volts. If we can find words to express the cause 
and nature of this revolt, so much the better; but 
even if we cannot, a vague but unshakable feeling 
persists within us that any views of this sort are 
superficial, inadequate and uncomprehending. 

Just as we found, in connection with human 
sympathy and affection, that cold reason might 
make the mistake of trying to explain them in 
terms of selfishness, so we find that when reason 
undertakes to penetrate into the human soul, it is 
apt to emerge with a distortion which lacks the 
essence of the whole thing. 

In the first place, so far as reason goes, after 
countless generations of man on earth, what evi- 
dence has yet been discovered to prove conclu- 
sively that when a man dies, the spirit of him dis- 

127 



HEAET AND SOUL 

engages itself from the dead body and goes on to 
an unknown world to continue life there? 

When a dog dies, does the spirit of him do the 
same thing? A bird? A spider? A germ? A 
flower? They all have the spirit of life within 
them — a wonderful complex life — and a struggle 
for existence on earth — of much the same sort as 
man's. 

I was talking to a charming lady, the other day, 
who said she firmly believes that the spirits of 
them all go on to a better world, along with man's. 

But whether they do, or whether they don't, 
what means has any intellect been able to find 
in all these centuries to settle the question and 
prove it scientifically, without fear of contradic- 
tion? 

Even if the intellect were satisfied to take so 
much for granted, at a guess, for the sake of hav- 
ing something to go by, there still remains the 
same element of uncertainty surrounding the ques- 
tion : ' ' Why am I here ? If my spirit is the only 
part of me that is destined to live on, what was 
the need of chaining it for this short space of 
time to animal instincts and a perishable body?" 

All sorts of theories have been advanced, in 
the search for a plausible explanation, but again, 
in all the ages of civilization, no conclusive proof 

128 



FAITH 

has been found that any one of them is the right 
one. 

In ancient times the theory seemed to be that 
the purpose of life was to develop the body to its 
highest state of prowess and beauty and to make 
liberal sacrifices to the gods, in order to gain and 
retain their favor. The idea seems to have been 
current for many centuries that when the spirit 
mounted to another world, it somehow carried 
the shape and characteristics of the earthly body 
along with it. Reason enough to make the body 
strong and beautiful, if the spirit were to con- 
tinue tied up to it eternally. 

Even in Shakespeare's time and all through the 
Middle Ages, whenever departed spirits were sup- 
posed to come back to earth to communicate with 
mortals, they always appeared in the same bodily 
form they had had on earth. 

On this assumption, if one individual happened 
to die when his body was young and strong and 
handsome, his spirit would have an advantage 
over another individual, who lasted on earth until 
his body was old, decrepit and ugly. 

It may be that the unfairness of this thought 
had something to do with the eventual discarding 
of the belief. It may also be that in the course of 
time and accumulated experience, the more ad- 
vanced intellects arrived at the conclusion that 

129 



HEABT AND SOUL 

sacrifices made to the gods had little perceptible 
effect on the course of events. In any case Eu- 
ropean civilization appears to have arrived at a 
stage where it was ripe and ready for another sort 
of conception. 

This other conception was the unimportance 
and unworthiness of the body and all material 
things. The spirit was the only thing that sig- 
nified and that was to be dedicated to the service 
of the Lord, as announced in divine command- 
ments. Sacrifices on the altar or gifts to the 
priests would avail nothing, if the spirit were un- 
dutiful. The Lord was to be worshipped and ad- 
dressed in prayer — and He was at all times pre- 
pared to mete out rewards and punishments in 
strict accordance to the deserts of the spirit. 
Good and worshipful spirits would be blessed with 
everlasting life in paradise, while those who dis- 
obeyed the commandments, or neglected to be bap- 
tized and worship in the ordained way would be 
consigned to eternal torture and damnation. 

This theory was accepted by many millions of 
people and for a long time held an awe-inspiring 
sway over their imaginations. 

At the same time, in different parts of the 
world, India, China, Mexico, Egypt and various 
countries, a number of other theories concerning 
the spirit and the body were advanced as the 

130 



FAITH 

basis of religious beliefs ; and these were accepted 
by countless other millions of people with the 
same awe-inspiring credulity. 

One feature of these various religions which 
appears to apply to them all, is worth noting. 
Each professed the belief that their God or gods 
ruled in supreme control of the entire universe, 
eternally, and that all other so-called gods and 
so-called religions of other peoples which inter- 
fered with this idea must necessarily be false and 
spurious. 

In this respect, our own Christian view is like 
the others. In pursuance of it, immense sums of 
money, untiring effort and many lives have been 
spent by devout believers to convince remote peo- 
ples of the error of their doctrines and the truth 
of ours. 

But if an unbiased and impartial intellect 
were permitted to go about among all the differ- 
ent religious sects on earth, and found each and 
every one proclaiming with the same fervid con- 
viction the unique and everlasting truth of their 
doctrine and the error of all others, how far could 
it get in the way of a reasonable conclusion! 

There is a sort of conclusion, which appears 
fairly obvious. 

If any one of the doctrines should in truth be all 
that is claimed for it — the divine revelation, or 

131 



HEABT AND SOUL 

the divine inspiration, of an Almighty Providence 
— then all the other doctrines can be no more than 
theories, more or less ingenious, more or less 
erroneous, mere products of man's imagination. 
Then countless millions of people for countless 
generations have been left to lead their lives with- 
out a right understanding of life or death, the 
body or the soul, or the real purpose or design 
for which they were created and by which they 
will be judged? Only the few lucky ones who 
happened to be born and brought up in the one 
true belief can have the advantage of grasping 
the situation. To an impartial intellect, there 
would seem to be something about such an ar- 
rangement hardly fair or just to all the other 
countless millions. 

But even so, and admitting what is apparently 
obvious, how could any amount of reasoning ar- 
rive at a decision in the matter? 

There is nothing to prove that all the theories 
and doctrines may be any more than guesses, bol- 
stered up with impressive formalities and 
imagery, according to the needs and tempera- 
ment, of the races for whom they were made. 
Taken as a whole, they suggest a great confusion 
of ideas and many curious contradictions concern- 
ing the purpose of man's earthly life and the 
destiny of his soul. 

132 



FAITH 

Has man really a soul, at all! In what part of 
his body is it located? What ground is there for 
imagining that it is any more immortal than his 
heart or his eye ? . We can study the eye and dis- 
sect it and arrive at a fairly accurate idea of how 
it works. We know that it can be blinded — put 
out; also we know that if anything stops the 
heart from beating, the eye, the brain and our 
other functions cease to operate and become 
transfixed in death. Why should this not apply 
as well to the soul, if there is a function in man 
which goes by that name? 

Enough has been said to indicate a few of the 
difficulties which stand in the way, when we ap- 
proach the consideration of man's spiritual na- 
ture. A study of the various religions and spir- 
itualistic beliefs which are current in the world 
to-day would be a tedious task for the average 
mind and would probably be of little practical 
use or help to any one. 

The same may be said about the scientific theory 
of evolution. That is essentially an effort of the 
intellect, focussing the attention on details, proc- 
esses and stages of development in living things 
and arriving no nearer to a solution of the un- 
explainable than we were in the beginning. 

Suppose I happen to be impressed by the 
beauty and wonder of an orange tree, with its 

133 



HEART AND SOUL 

golden, luscious fruit, its delicately tinted and 
deliciously scented blossoms, its graceful leaves 
and branches, its symmetrical trunk so firmly 
rooted in the ground? Merely as a piece of ma- 
chinery, as a little factory, designed to manufac- 
ture a certain kind of edible product, it is far more 
ingenious, economical and generally marvellous 
than anything the combined brains of mankind 
have been able to design throughout the centuries. 
It is automatic, self -lubricating, self-repairing 
and goes on, year after year, in fair weather or 
foul, turning out its brand of juicy pulp, done up 
charmingly in little yellow packages. How does 
it operate ? How does it always manage to get the 
necessary raw materials from the earth and the 
air? How do the roots and the leaves and the 
sap ever contrive to convert these into perfume 
and blossoms and pulp and pigment? 

Now suppose a scientific intellect comes along 
and, after investigating, dissecting, analyzing, 
eventually holds out before my eyes a tiny white 
seed which it has located in the centre of the 
yellow package — and says : 

"This is the explanation of the whole thing. 
That orange tree is merely the result, by a proc- 
ess of natural development and evolution, of this 
seed. We have studied it all out, step by step. 
If you will give us one of these seeds to start with 

134 



FAITH 

and some ground to put it in, there is no mystery 
about it at all. We can show you how the whole 
thing happens. Of course, it takes considerable 
time — but time is nothing to Nature. In this case, 
only four or five years are required for the seed 
to become transformed into a fruit-bearing orange 
tree." 

"But," say I, "your investigations and ex- 
planations only add to my amazement. The de- 
sign and formation of that little seed is even more 
wonderful and incomprehensible than the full- 
grown orange tree. Within its tiny compass, it 
not only contains all the complicated miraculous 
processes which convert earth and air and water 
into fragrant blossoms, juicy pulp and golden 
oranges, but it contains in addition to that, other 
miraculous powers which enable it to develop and 
transform itself into a special kind of beautiful 
tree, with roots and branches and leaves. As com- 
pared to this one little seed, all the greatest in- 
ventions and achievements of man seem like the 
crudest bungling." 

"Tut, tut," replies the scientific intellect, 
"this is only one sort of seed. There are 
hundreds, thousands of others, some so small that 
they look like grains of dust. Each one of these 
is a complete manufacturing plant, perfect in 
every detail, each designed to turn out a special 

135 



HEART AND SOUL 

kind of product, different from all the others. 
One of the most remarkable points about them is 
that they require no special materials — each and 
every one of them makes use of the same common 
ingredients, earth, air, light, water. From those 
ingredients, this little machine, for instance, work- 
ing automatically, can turn out a giant red-wood 
tree, which will last for centuries. This other 
little one, next to it, working in the same way, 
will produce thousands upon thousands of roses, 
of a certain beautiful shade of color and a certain 
delicate fragrance. And so it is with all these 
other little machines, which we call seeds, — how- 
ever amazing the difference in the kind of product, 
it is due entirely to certain subtle differences in 
their design/ ' 

"But," say I, "what sublime intelligence con- 
ceived the plan of those machines, and what kind 
of sublimely skilful craftsman was able to fashion 
them?" 

' ' They were made automatically by the various 
trees aud plants." 

"But who conceived the plan of the trees and 
plants?" 

"The trees and plants were produced auto- 
matically by other little seeds, like these." 

"But the first one of these seeds, or the first one 

136 



FAITH 

of these trees — who conceived and executed 
that!" 

"Oh, that," says the scientific intellect, "came 
about through a process of evolution, which ex- 
tends way back thousands of centuries. We have 
studied it carefully and reasoned it all out to our 
entire satisfaction. 

"These plant seeds are only one part of it. 
There are also all the animals and animalculae, 
including man. There are thousands of different 
kinds of living creatures and each kind has a dis- 
tinct design from all the rest, which appears to 
have been determined by the special purpose for 
which it was intended. 

"As a matter of fact, they are nothing more 
or less than the results of evolution, natural se- 
lection and the survival of the fittest. All we 
require for the demonstration of our theory, is a 
little bit of protoplasm at the beginning of things 
and a mass of elemental matter in an unformed 
state." 

"But," say I, "are you sure you are not try- 
ing to befuddle me and befuddle yourself by the 
use of obscure words? You use the. word "pro- 
toplasm" — but if you mean by that a kind of ma- 
chine, like the orange pit or the red-wood seed, 
your evolution theory and your scientific chain of 
reasoning and all your big words merely bring 

137 



HEABT AND SOUL 

ns back to the point where we started and really 
explain nothing at all. The orange seed, if left 
to itself in the midst of elemental matter will 
produce a certain kind of tree and countless 
oranges. A bit of protoplasm, if left to itself in 
the midst of elemental matter, will not only pro- 
duce an orange tree and a red-wood tree, but an 
elephant, a spider, a human being — all the count- 
less species of living things to be found in the 
universe. It may take the protoplasm a longer 
time to turn all this out, but it is a bigger job 
and time is of small account in such a considera- 
tion. 

"All I can say is that I prostrate myself in 
abject and bewildered admiration before that bit 
of protoplasm. If anything could be more won- 
derful than the orange seed with which we started, 
your protoplasm is certainly it. It is a miracle of 
a million miracles. 

' ' But there is one thing you forgot to tell me — 
the only thing of any real interest or importance 
to the average mind in such a theory. What 
sublime intelligence conceived the plan of that bit 
of protoplasm — and what kind of sublimely skil- 
ful craftsman was able to fashion it?" 

"Oh that," says the scientific intellect — "that 
just happens to be one point which our chain of 
reasoning has not yet been able to demonstrate 

138 



FAITH 

in a logical and satisfactory way. We have left 
that out of our theory.' ' 

"Well then," say I, "here are trees and flowers 
and animals and mankind, each perfectly adapted 
for the special function on earth for which they 
were apparently designed. The plan of them ap- 
pears to have been determined, somewhere, some- 
how, by a sublime intelligence which surpasses 
understanding, for some sublime purpose, appar- 
ently, which I am yearning to know. All the de- 
tails, complications and assumptions of your the- 
ory when boiled down to simple terms seem more 
or less of a quibble on words and meanings. 

"Your conclusions are of much the same sort 
as those of the intellectual cynic whom we quoted 
in connection with sympathy and affection. He 
undertook to prove with a chain of reasoning that 
I obey only motives of selfishness when I shed 
tears of grief because my friend has lost his only 
son." 

Here we are living together on earth to-day, 
and here were our fathers and forefathers living, 
in the same general way with the same general in- 
stincts and feelings, as far back as we have any 
record of; and here presumably will our children 
and their descendants continue to be living, as far 
as our imagination can carry us. Whether the 
process of our creation involved a bit of pro- 

139 



HEART AND SOUL 

toplasm in the midst of chaos, or whether we 
were evolved from a thought and a breath of an 
Almighty God, is of very slight consequence as a 
human consideration. 

In view of the wonderful harmony and fitness 
of the countless processes and things which we 
see everywhere about us in nature, it is not 
strange that mankind seems always to have taken 
it for granted that a supremely wise and a su- 
premely resourceful intelligence of some sort is 
responsible for it all. The beginning, the end, the 
scheme and purpose of so many miracles, extend 
into the beyond, the unknown, the incomprehen- 
sible. What the Supreme Being is like — how or 
why He came into existence — where matter or 
life first came from — or even what the connection 
is between the creatures of this world and the 
countless stars and planets which may be other 
worlds — all this is shrouded in the mystery of 
mysteries. 

If we get to thinking very much about it, one 
of the effects is to make the affairs of man and 
the like of man seem tiny and unimportant in 
comparison to the whole — one kind of little crea- 
tures on one little globe, when we know there are 
thousands upon thousands of bigger globes in the 
firmament and possibly millions and billions of 

140 



FAITH 

larger and more exalted creatures on many of 
them. 

But it is only man's intellect that gets tangled 
up and discouraged by that kind of reasoning. 
Another side of man's nature comes to the fore 
and disposes of this tangle with more inspiring 
sentiments. These sentiments tell us that a mar- 
vellous scheme of life is at work in our world, 
every detail of which from the lowest to the high- 
est appears to have received exactly the same sort 
of sublime consideration — and that of this entire 
scheme, the spirit of man has been constituted 
the leader and master. On this earth at least man 
is a kind of divine lieutenant, the captain, the 
commander, the generalissimo of all living things. 
Somehow, somewhere, there must be a sublime 
purpose to it all, because it is dominated through- 
out by a sublime intelligence, an apparently all- 
wise Providence. Somehow, somewhere, the spirit 
of man has a never ending responsibility and an 
awe-inspiring, exalted destiny. 

Whether this be true or not, and however, the 
scientific intellect may be inclined to quibble with 
arguments and conclusions, there is something 
inside of each and every one of us to a greater or 
less extent, which makes us feel that this is so. This 
something within us, which responds to such a 
feeling, is a function quite apart from the intellect 

141 



HEABT AND SOUL 

— the most highly developed intellects often have 
the least of it; it is equally removed from the 
loves and hates, sympathies and antipathies of 
our heart life ; and equally far away from the per- 
ceptions and appetites of our senses. It is the 
side of man 's nature which for the want of a better 
name, we call the soul. And the feeling of the 
soul that there is somewhere an all-wise Provi- 
dence, sublime purpose in everything, an exalted 
destiny for man — irrespective of proof, or sci- 
ence, or calculation or demonstrations of any sort 
— that feeling in its simplest essence is what we 
call faith. 

"In God We Trust " — that is the motto which 
appears on American coins. Without great ex- 
aggeration, it might be called the motto of hu- 
manity, everywhere, at all times. It is a soul 
feeling; an expression of fundamental faith. 

Now as this feeling is not dependent on the 
reasoning faculty, there should be nothing amaz- 
ing in the fact that it has been found susceptible 
of being developed and led far afield in the direc- 
tion of credulity. All sorts of fairy-tales have 
been invented by man's imagination, in different 
countries, at different periods, and imposed upon 
the simple faith of the masses in order that they 
might be guided and controlled in a manner that 
the leading spirits considered best for them. Idols, 

142 



FAITH 

divine revelations, oracles, prayers, sacrifices, 
confessionals, priests, prophets, medicine men, 
sacred dances and prostrations, awe-inspiring 
rites and ceremonies of almost every conceivable 
kind have been resorted to, in order to attain re- 
sults which were considered beneficial. 

In nearly every case, it is safe to say the effort 
was inspired by an intense soul feeling on the part 
of an individual, however much it may have been 
seasoned with shrewdness and calculation and un- 
derstanding of the people for whose good it was 
intended. 

It is generally admitted that the age in which 
we live is a scientific age. Scientific investiga- 
tions, scientific explanations, scientific inventions, 
scentific methods and theories, are dominant fac- 
tors in the progress to which modern civilization 
has been devoting so much of its energy. In our 
schools, and colleges and text-books, the grow- 
ing mind is being taught to approach all subjects 
and questions from a reasonable, practical and 
scientific point- of -view. 

One of the first principles of all science is to 
take as little as possible for granted, but to 
investigate and prove everything, without preju- 
dice, in strict accordance with the facts. This is 
the typical attitude of to-day, encouraged and 

143 



HEART AND SOUL 

absorbed on every side and becoming more wide- 
spread with each passing year. 

Suppose a yonng man or woman, trained in this 
way, in school and college, by books of science, 
magazine articles, newspapers and discussions 
of one sort or another connected with modern 
progress, is prompted one fine day to turn his at- 
tention to this question of religion and undertake 
an enquiry into that? Sooner or later, this is very 
apt to happen to any one, because the churches 
and ceremonies are all about; and when an indi- 
vidual mind reaches a stage where it wants to 
think for itself, it can hardly escape from arriving 
at some conclusion concerning them. 

A modern person so trained, is apt to perceive 
very quickly that many of the statements and as- 
sumptions made in the name of any particular 
religion are unscientific and inaccurate and not 
much more reasonable than Aladdin and his won- 
derful lamp, or Jack and the Beanstalk. They pre- 
suppose an amount of childlike credulity and igno- 
rance on the part of the worshipper, which can 
only be explained to his mind by the primitive 
state of the people for whom they were originally 
intended. 

In view of this, the natural tendency for a prac- 
tical scientific mind of the present generation is 
to regard the church question as a rather curious 

144 



FAITH 

and perplexing survival which, for family and 
personal reasons, it might be just as well to leave 
alone. 

As science cannot discover how the first pro- 
toplasm was created, and as the preaching of the 
various religions is interwoven with fanciful and 
unsound assumptions, the most logical solution is 
to cease bothering one's head about it. 

One trouble with this is, that the soul is an 
important part of man's life and it has need of 
faith of some sort. To a great extent, civiliza- 
tion depends upon it. If all the people about us 
had no soul and no faith, it is hard to imagine what 
the world would be like. 

We can imagine, in a way, by turning our atten- 
tion to the criminal classes. Consider for a mo- 
ment the make-up of a typical crook — a thief, a 
burglar, a kidnapper, a hold-up man — a so-called 
' ' enemy of the law. ' ' What is the underlying dif- 
ference between him and a worthy citizen! Is 
it simply that one breaks the law, while the other 
does not? That is only an apparent, superficial 
difference, based on results. A worthy man might 
break the law repeatedly, without becoming in 
the least a crook; a crook might stay within the 
law, most carefully and cautiously, without alter- 
ing in the slightest degree, the essence of his 
crookedness. 

145 



HEART AND SOUL 

The real significant difference lies deeper down, 
in his natnre and attitude — attitude toward his 
fellow men, toward himself, toward the mystery 
of life. A crook usually has the same sort of ap- 
petites and desires as anybody else. He may have 
the keenest perceptions and excellent taste in mat- 
ters of beauty and other pleasure-giving refine- 
ments. As far as the sensations of life go, and 
the development of the senses, he may be far above 
the average, and many of them undoubtedly are. 

As for brains, many crooks of the higher order 
are remarkably quick and resourceful, while 
not a few have had superior education and book 
learning. 

It is also undoubtedly true that they may have 
warm hearts and loving natures, and be capable of 
an unusual amount of loyalty and devotion to their 
pals. 

In addition to that, they are frequently very pa- 
tient, self-controlled and fearless. 

But there is just one quality, one side of their 
natures, that is deficient — the soul, with its faith. 
They have no feeling of responsibility within them 
toward an unknown but holy purpose, toward an 
all- wise Being, who created the world and en- 
trusted to man a spirit capable of leading it. 

Without this feeling, there is no real meaning 
to the words right and wrong; and that is the es- 

146 



FAITH 

sential mark of a crook. Outside of a few inti- 
mates whom he is attached to, the rest of mankind 
with its laws and aspirations, represents nothing 
more than a hostile force to be preyed npon and 
gotten the best of. Provided he can avoid punish- 
ment, a crook feels no objection to cheating, steal- 
ing, or cutting a throat. 

This appears to be the natural principle of life 
among wild animals, the fish in the sea, the spider 
and the fly ; and it would presumably be the same 
among men, if man were without a soul and de- 
void of faith. 

There is no feeling of right and wrong among 
animals, when left to themselves. They merely 
try to get what they want, by any means at their 
disposal. In doing this, their only concern is to 
save their own skins and to avoid a mix-up with 
another animal or animals stronger than them- 
selves. 

In the case of crooks and criminals, these other 
animals which concern them are usually the repre- 
sentatives of the law. 

Certain kinds of animals — dogs, horses, pets — 
may be tamed and trained by man into an imita- 
tion notion of right and wrong. But it is only a 
superficial imitation, essentially different in com- 
position from the genuine article. 

A dog may learn in time that if he chases the 

147 



HEART AND SOUL 

pet cat, his master will give him a beating. After 
learning this lesson, he may still occasionally give 
himself the satisfaction of chasing the cat up a 
tree, but after he has done so, he will show his 
training by looking guilty, hanging his tail and 
sneaking off into the bushes. He knows he has 
done wrong. In this case, however, it simply 
means that he is anticipating and seeking to miti- 
gate an expected beating. The pain of a beating 
is bad; a lump of sugar is good, any animal can 
grasp that, and some animals may be trained to 
connect the cause and effect. 

But that is not at all the same kind of thing as 
the conception of right and wrong that grows up 
in man and finds its true explanation in a soul 
feeling. 

This vague, but fundamental, feeling of faith in 
a divine purpose of some sort for the life of each 
individual is not dependent upon any particular 
religion, or creed, or doctrine. It appears to have 
found expression at all stages of civilization in 
all countries of which we have any record. 

It was found to exist among the savage Ameri- 
can Indians and the Aztec Mexicans, as it existed 
in the earliest mummy age of ancient Egypt, and 
among the earlier warriors of Europe, as depicted 
by Homer. Among the yellow races of China and 

148 



FAITH 

Japan, the recognition of this same faith ex- 
tends back to the farther-most records of time. 

Whether it evolved from a protoplasm, or was 
implanted in man by the Creator, it may be re- 
garded as an essential part of the all-wise scheme 
— which is, which was, and which presumably al- 
ways will be. 

By some such process of observation and rea- 
soning as we have been going through, it is pos- 
sible to arrive at a relatively safe and satisfactory 
conclusion to the first soul question : "Has my life 
any purpose in the great, everlasting scheme of 
things f" 

The answer is: "Undoubtedly. A feeling to 
that effect is to be found universally among man- 
kind. The intention of the Creator, which sur- 
passes understanding, in this one respect, at least, 
appears to be unmistakable. ' ' 

Attached to this conclusion is the second part 
of the question, to which an answer may be found 
by a similar process of observation and reason- 
ing: 

"Granted that I am assured by an inner feel- 
ing that my life has some purpose — what is that 
purpose V 9 

It is not difficult to discern a general and practi- 
cally uniform purpose in normal human beings. 
First, of course, is the primal instinct of self- 

149 



HEAET AND SOUL 

preservation, a feeling that life itself is precious 
and must be held on to as long as possible. Along 
with this, goes another primal instinct — to create 
new life and protect that — and thus continue your 
race and kind on earth indefinitely. 

It is easy enough to see that if these two in- 
stincts were lacking, or if any other considera- 
tions were allowed to impair their force, the 
scheme of the world would come to an end. What- 
ever the purpose of a human life might be, that 
purpose would be futile, if there were no human 
lives to accomplish it. So that these two in- 
stincts are necessary conditions of any other plan 
or design. They are the first and foremost con- 
siderations in all life, in all civilizations. Not 
only are they instinctive impulses of man's animal 
nature, which he shares with brute beings, but 
they also appeal to his innermost soul with the 
strongest feelings of which he is capable. 

It is right for him to protect himself; it is 
right for him to protect his wife and children; 
it is right for him to protect his relatives and 
friends and fellows from any and all enemies. In 
order to do this he will kill other human beings, 
if necessary, in case of war, or attack; and his 
conscience will not reproach him; it will tell him 
he has done right. 

This feeling has been implanted in all normal 

150 



FAITH 

human beings — it has always been and presum- 
ably always will be. It may be regarded as part 
of the divine intention. It is also an unmistak- 
able purpose for each individual — to preserve his 
own life and strive for its continuation in his off- 
spring. 

That is the first and foremost thing for you to 
live for. Why? Because the strongest feelings 
of your whole nature, in accord with your con- 
science, tell you so. 

If we consider woman as distinct from man, we 
find her strongest instinct and deepest inner feel- 
ings impel her to care for and protect her off- 
spring; but that instead of an impulse to go out 
and fight against the enemy, she feels in her con- 
science that it is right and natural for her to rely 
upon the husband and father to do that. It is for 
her to stick close to the babies and pray for his 
success. 

That is the only difference— a fundamental dif- 
ference in the innermost feeling of the male and 
the female — which appears to have existed always, 
and may therefore be regarded as a part of the 
divine intention. 

Now, after the continuation of life on earth is 
safeguarded in this way, is there any other deep 
and general feeling of man's inner nature which 

151 



HEART AND SOUL 

might furnish an indication of a further purpose 
for his life? 

Is there not in each and every one of us a deep- 
rooted desire, which is wholly in accord with con- 
science, to make good in the role which has been 
assigned to us in the mystery of creation? Does 
not each individual feel moved to accomplish some- 
thing beyond the mere continuation of life? Is 
there not within us a vague aspiration to do well 
and be something good and fine, according to 
our means and tastes? Do we not want to be a 
success rather than a failure, both for our own 
sake and for the sake of those we love, who also 
love us, and cannot help being affected by what 
we do? 

If by any chance you are deficient in this feeling 
yourself, or confused about it, you have only to 
look about any where, at any time, and you will 
find it in evidence among normal individuals from 
the days of early childhood. 

A little girl likes to be pretty, to dance well, to 
sew neatly, to be helpful to her mother, to be 
petted, loved, approved. 

A little boy wants to be a fast runner, a fine 
swimmer, a good fighter — he wants to be strong 
and brave and self-reliant and many other things, 
besides. He admires these qualities in other boys ; 
a feeling of his inner nature, in accord with his 

152 



FAITH 

conscience, tells him he would like to be that 
kind of a boy, himself. He feels it is the kind 
that every one ought to want to be. 

And if he is a normal, healthy boy, this feeling 
arises within him just as naturally and spontane- 
ously as the feeling which comes to a sensitive 
soul in the presence of a sunset, or musical har- 
monies and tells it they are beautiful. It is quite 
apart from any far-sighted calculations of the 
intellect concerning the practical use which those 
qualities may, or may not, have in after life. 

The same thing is true of the little girl and 
what she admires and aspires to. 

As the youngsters grow up to be men and wo- 
men, they are still susceptible to the same sort of 
feeling, in spite of the fact that many other more 
practical and material considerations are liable 
to creep in and confuse it, alter it, distort it. 

Somewhere, in the inner nature of almost every- 
body, there persists a feeling of admiration for 
the fine and noble qualities of mankind. Some of 
those qualities, experience may have demon- 
strated, are beyond our personal strength and 
reach — others may have practical disadvantages, 
which our self-interest and our reason over-rule, 
but as long as the feeling is there, it keeps 
whispering to us, however faintly, that we ought 

153 



HEART AND SOUL 

to try to live up to the best that is in us and not 
be satisfied with less. 

Let us take care to note that this differs com- 
pletely from another sort of feeling which cold- 
blooded cynics are apt to confuse it with. This 
other feeling is inspired by greed and controlled 
by selfish calculation, and tells certain individuals 
that by closing their eyes to what is beautiful and 
admirable in human nature, and by taking advan- 
tage of any and every opportunity, they may ob- 
tain a greater portion of worldly goods and ma- 
terial pleasures. 

This latter feeling is not in touch with con- 
science and neither to ourselves, nor to others, 
does it inspire ennobling sentiments. A proper 
name for it is ambition — a selfish quality, whose 
essence bears no relation to the aspiration of boy 
and girl, man and woman, toward what is finest 
and best. 

This feeling of aspiration, which exists in the 
soul and appears to be innate in human beings 
everywhere, offers a clear and indisputable reve- 
lation of a purpose for man's life, above and be- 
yond the mere continuation of it. It is one very 
solid answer to the second part of the great ques- 
tion : What is the purpose of my life? To strive 
toward betterment and excellence, in accordance 
with your lights and conscience. Why! Because, 

154 



FAITH 

just as a feeling within you tells you that a sunset 
is beautiful, so there is this other feeling within 
you, which tells you this is fine and right. 

Those are fundamental feelings, planted in 
all mankind, not accidental exceptions. They are 
surely a part of the all-wise design, an essential 
part of your purpose in being here. 

The finest types of men, the leading spirits of 
humanity, in all ages and climes, from the ear- 
liest savages to the most advanced civilization, 
have always had that kind of feeling and re- 
sponded to it. It is a fundamenetal fact of the 
soul life, which leaves no room for doubt. 

Is there any other feeling of this sort which 
appears to be so fundamental and world-wide that 
it may be regarded as an innate and essential part 
of human nature, independent of climate, or race, 
or intellectual development? 

Is there not a sentiment deep down in all 
mothers and fathers, to want their children to 
be finer, better, more nearly perfect than they 
themselves have been? Has not this sentiment 
something in it which is quite apart from self- 
interest, or reason, or the impulses of affection? 

Suppose a normal mother is on her death-bed, 
with but an hour to live? As far as she is con- 
cerned, all considerations of self-interest in this 
world are at an end. After one hour, nothing 

155 



HEART AND SOUL 

that happens can make any difference to her, per- 
sonally. Her children are in an adjoining room 
and her thoughts and feelings are full of them. 
That is only natural — almost inevitable. 

What is the essence of her feelings'? Love, 
in the first place. They are inexpressibly dear 
to her and she feels glad and thankful that all 
is well with them. What next? A prayerful hope 
that they will be happy and successful and live 
to a ripe old age. For her sake? No, for theirs. 

Does she wish them to be liars and cheats and 
ingrates, dissipated and corrupt, if by so doing 
they can have most pleasure and satisfy them- 
selves? Oh no — not that. Why not? Because 
there is something within her which wants them 
to be fine and good and worthy of their birth- 
right. She wants them to cling fast to the best 
that is in them, not the worst; to do right and 
be right, whether it serves their pleasure or not. 

If a mother would naturally feel this way on 
her death-bed, so might a father, or a grand- 
mother or a grand-father, in any country — in al- 
most any state of civilization — irrespective of any 
particular creed or doctrine, to which they might 
subscribe. 

This is not to be taken as saying that all moth- 
ers or fathers would be conscious of this feeling 
— or would have this feeling in them to any appre- 

156 



FAITH 

ciable extent — or that all individuals may be said 
to have any of the fundamental soul feelings to 
which we have referred. 

Throughout all nature, and in human life as 
well, there are to be found individual deficiencies 
and perversions. Since this is as true to-day, as 
it has been always, in all departments of creation, 
we can be content to regard it as part of the all- 
wise but mysterious scheme. 

To the best of our knowledge and belief, in 
practically all communities of human beings of 
which there is any record, these few self-same 
feelings of man's innermost nature have become 
plainly, unmistakably, evident. They appear to 
be inborn fundamentals of the human soul. As 
far as they go, they may be safely and confidently 
accepted as indications of man's purpose here 
on earth: the preservation of life, the continua- 
tion of life, an aspiration in one's own develop- 
ment toward what is admirable and right, and an 
equally great aspiration to inculcate and develop 
in one's children the essence of what is best in 
oneself. 

In the face of any such conclusion, a question 
naturally arises, which a cynical and selfish mind 
is not slow to make the most of. "If this is the 
palpable intention and design of an all-wise Cre- 
ator, how does it happen that so many human 

157 



HEAET AND SOUL 

beings fail to carry out the purpose? How does 
it happen that so many are relatively deficient, or 
totally unconscious of the feelings themselves? 
If the general aim and aspiration is toward con- 
stant betterment and an ideal of perfection, why, 
after all these centuries of endeavor, haven't we 
arrived somewhere near the goal? Why do we 
find among the individuals of to-day in our coun- 
try less aspirations toward what is fine and right 
and honorable than were felt a hundred years 
ago? Why, when these feelings reached so high 
a standard in the classic days of Greece, did they 
decline and shrivel and give way to barbarism? 
Why did the same thing happen in Eome? If the 
divine intention is toward progress and better- 
ment and an ideal of right, why has the intention 
failed so miserably and repeatedly to be carried 
out? Why haven't I just as much reason to as- 
sume that the divine intention, if there be any, is 
the gradual corruption, decay and disintegration 
of the human being? Were the motives and be- 
havior of the average man ever more corrupt, im- 
moral and baser than they are to-day — all over 
the world? If we consider the results, where is 
the evidence of a constant betterment in man's 
spiritual nature? My observations and judgment 
tell me there are no grounds for any such as- 

158 



FAITH 

sumption and there probably never was any such 
divine intention.'' 

The answer to such objections is fairly simple: 

"You are attempting to pass judgment, by 
means of the reasoning processes of the intellect, 
on questions which man's intellect is incapable of 
understanding. As we found to be the case when 
considering the affections, the result of such an 
endeavor is a misconception and distortion. 

"Although you are well aware that neither rea- 
son nor science can offer the faintest glimmer of 
an explanation as to how, or why, the first essence 
of life came into existence, or the first elemental 
matter, or as to what is the ultimate intention or 
end of a single thing in this world, or any other, 
yet you have the presumption to criticize the 
means and methods being employed for the at- 
tainment of those ends by an all- wise Creator, 
who presumably did know, and does know, what 
they are. 

"Underlying your questions and comments is 
a complete misunderstanding. In considering 
man's purpose in life, I had no thought of deter- 
mining God's purpose in creating man, or in cre- 
ating life, or in creating the world in which the 
life of man is to be found. That surpasses my 
understanding. That there is an all-wise design 
and purpose of some sort, behind and above it 

159 



HEAET AND SOUL 

all, I have no doubt. This conviction comes prin- 
cipally from a feeling of my innermost nature, 
which has been found among mankind, in all 
ages — faith. It is confirmed and strengthened 
by the evidence of my perceptions and intellect 
— the beauty and wonder and fitness in all the 
processes of creation. 

"But even in the simplest facts of nature all 
about us, there are countless principles at work 
whose intention cannot be penetrated by human 
reason. Why were wolves permitted and urged 
by their instincts to devour innocent lambs ? Why 
were the germs of disease and corruption created 
with the same bewildering perfection of design 
and the same mysterious, vital force as the good 
and beautiful creatures which they infest? Why 
were exquisite flowers and fruit-bearing trees al- 
lowed to be overcome by foul fungus and poison- 
ous weeds? 

"If our reason is unable to discern the under- 
lying intention in such simple, every-day occur- 
rences as these, by what right does it pretend to 
pass judgment on the great complexities and de- 
velopments of human civilization V - 

What good is accomplished by the rise and fall 
of an empire ? Or by the rise and fall of a human 
individual? What all- wise intention is fulfilled 
in the deterioration and decay of any thing which 

160 



FAITH 

has once seemed admirable and worthy? The 
human intellect cannot tell. 

As long as the intellect cannot grasp the begin- 
ning of creation, or the end, the original cause of 
man's existence, or the final result — how can it 
presume to criticize and doubt, without getting 
out of its element and beyond its depth? 

God's purpose for man, from the point-of-view 
of God, is an entirely different thing from an in- 
dividual's purpose in life, from man's point-of- 
view. As this difference is something which ap- 
pears to give rise to a certain amount of con- 
fusion in some people's minds, it is worth clear- 
ing up by a simple illustration. 

Suppose a commanding general, in the midst of 
a campaign, gives orders for a brigade to occupy 
a certain ridge and defend it at all costs? Sup- 
pose these orders are carried out and, after a 
heroic defence lasting several days, the entire 
brigade is wiped out by the enemy? 

In such a case, when an order comes, what is, 
and ought to be, the purpose of each individual 
soldier composing the brigade? To obey orders, 
do his duty as well and bravely as he can, and 
hope for the best — which may be victory, glory 
and promotion. 

What, now, was the purpose of the general, in 
issuing the orders? Was it to enable those in- 

161 



HEAET AND SOUL 

dividual soldiers to win victory and gain promo- 
tion? Quite the contrary. His purpose was to 
delay the enemy advance at that point for forty- 
eight hours, for reasons of high strategy. 

What was the purpose of God in designing man- 
kind in such a way that millions of fine individuals 
should go forth to maim and exterminate each 
other, to the accompaniment of untold suffering 
and misery 1 

Because the private does not know the purpose 
of the general; and because neither the private, 
nor the general, knows the purpose of God, is 
that a reason to conclude, or imagine, that there 
is no purpose? 

Is that a reason to conclude, or imagine, that 
the private cannot have and know a purpose of 
his own — a fine and worthy purpose of which his 
conscience approves? Does not that same obser- 
vation apply to the general and to all other indi- 
viduals, high or low? 

Because certain individuals are born blind or 
deaf, does that imply that mankind was not de- 
signed to see or hear? Because certain individu- 
als, through the effects of disease or abuse, lose 
their sight, does that disprove a purpose for the 
eye? Because certain communities, or certain 
civilizations, decline and decay, through corrup- 
tion, does that prove anything with regard to 

162 



FAITH 

the intention and design of the Creator — except 
that such happenings are apparently a part of 
the mysterious plan? 

It may be that in that plan the soul life of a 
single individual has more lasting significance 
than the rise and fall of an empire. Such a con- 
ception is apt to strike a matter-of-fact intellect 
as the height of absurdity. But even in the ma- 
terial world, when it was first suggested that the 
earth was round, that conception also struck the 
matter-of-fact intellect as the height of absurdity. 
So did the idea of Columbus — that he might set 
sail from Spain, going West, and arrive back at 
Spain, coming from the East. Nearly all the 
great discoveries and conceptions of genius have 
struck the matter-of-fact intellect as the height 
of absurdity. They dealt with an unknown prin- 
ciple which was different from accepted notions. 

But the meaning of a human soul in the eternal 
plan, or of a certain phase of civilization in the 
unknown plan, are also unknown principles and 
the opinions of the intellect concerning them are 
purely guess-work. 

If, however, we feel inclined to use our imagina- 
tions, there is a line of thought which might seem 
to have a remote bearing on this part of the 
puzzle. 

In the material world, and the intellectual world, 

163 



HEART AND SOUL 

and the esthetic world of art and beauty, we 
may form a matter-of-fact opinion concerning 
things of which we do know something. We can 
see the effects of certain occurrences and judge 
of their relative importance, from man's point- 
of-view. 

Which was more significant and important for 
the good of civilization — that countless millions of 
men and women, for countless generations, in 
Mexico and in Persia, talked and thought and ex- 
changed ideas — or that one single individual, 
named William Shakespeare, had some ideas 
which it occurred to him to put on paper? 

The brain effort of a single individual more 
significant for future humanity than the rise and 
fall of an empire ! That kind of conception — deal- 
ing with something we know about — does not 
strike the matter-of-fact intellect as the height 
of absurdity. 

Was a single painting, the Mona Lisa, of a 
single individual, Leonardo da Vinci, less import- 
ant than the millions of paintings made during 
countless generations throughout the entire em- 
pire of China? 

Do we measure the achievements of a Napoleon, 
an Alexander, a Washington, by the manner of 
their decline and death? 

It seems simple enough to us that one short 

164 



FAITH 

life may have more meaning for the rest of hu- 
manity in this world, than millions of other lives. 
We can see and understand and measure the ef- 
fects of such occurrences as these, with the intel- 
lect. 

But in regard to man's inner feelings, the soul 
life, because the achievement may not be visible 
— because its record is not written on paper — 
because its true significance is entirely shrouded 
in the mysterious intention of creation, how can 
the intellect know that the conscientious effort of 
one short life on earth, however humble, may not 
have a bigger meaning and a more lasting value 
in the divine scheme than the accomplishments 
— material, intellectual, artistic — of millions? 

The spiritual side appears undoubtedly to be 
the highest and finest part of man's nature — 
why then is it not possible that the spiritual strug- 
gle of each and every single soul, however incon- 
spicuous in a worldly way, may be the thing that 
counts most in the everlasting scheme? 

This is a question, we repeat, which all the sci- 
ence of all the wise men of all the generations is 
completely incapable of deciding. No amount of 
reasoning can disprove it, any more than it can 
prove it. That is the special point I have been 
trying to make clear. Because the cold processes 

165 



HEAET AND SOUL 

of the intellect are inclined to dismiss as absurd 
all kinds of beliefs and conceptions which they can- 
not verify, they need not be abandoned on that 
account. 






166 



VI 

SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

NO amount of reasoning can alter the fact that 
certain spontaneous and fundamental feel- 
ings of man's inner nature inspire him to con- 
scientious effort and, as they presumably owe 
their origin to an all-wise Creator, they may be 
safely relied on to indicate his part and respon- 
sibility in the mysterious scheme. 

It seems to me that nothing in the whole prob- 
lem of life is more important than a thorough 
realization of this undoubted truth — that the big 
fundamental feelings of man's better nature are 
absolutely independent and apart from the work- 
ing of his intellect, or any calculation of self- 
interest, conscious or implied, just as they are 
independent of his material appetites and in- 
stincts. A clear understanding of this truth will 
answer many of the questions which are so apt to 
confuse the reason and trouble the peace of mind 
of the average much instructed person. 

If a scientific doubter asks us how we can be 

167 



HEAET AND SOUL 

sure of this, we can answer without hesitation that 
the evidence of our own inner feelings is unmis- 
takable proof of it. The only proof of a feeling- 
is the feeling itself. We have it — we are con- 
scious of it — it is, as far as we are concerned, 
and it is futile for any outsider to deny it. 

If any one is so constituted that he cannot get 
the force of this, we may make the understanding 
of it easier by turning his attention to the feelings 
of man's esthetic nature, which operate in a 
somewhat similar way. We have already had 
occasion to refer to them, but we may be per- 
mitted to do so again, with added emphasis. They 
are an illustration and a confirmation of the vi- 
tally important principle which we have just been 
stating. 

If a setting sun, or a harmony, or musical notes, 
appeal to my sense of beauty and give rise to a 
vague but delicious emotion of my inner nature, 
all the arguments of all the intellects on earth 
are powerless to alter the essence and meaning 
of that feeling, so far as my nature is concerned. 
To me that feeling of beauty is a fact, and it 
would remain just as much a fact, even if no other 
person in the world shared it with me ; and every 
other person in the world undertook to deny its 
existence. The only proof I have of it, the only 
proof I need for it, is that I feel it. 

168 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

Now, when the intellect takes npon itself to 
meddle with snch things, a learned professor may 
explain that a certain musical note is composed of 
vibrations — so many thousand per second — which 
are communicated to particles of matter in sus- 
pension in the air and carried by them to the tym- 
panum of the ear, which acts thus-and-so upon 
the various components of the hearing apparatus, 
and finally arrives through a system of ganglia 
to a certain nerve centre, located somewhere in 
a brain cell, or the spinal column. He may use 
a great many other big words and display various 
kinds of scientific devices for measuring sound 
waves and calculating vibrations, but when he has 
finished, all his science will not enable him to com- 
pose a touching melody, or feel the beauty and 
inspiration of it. A little child, or a negro mam- 
my, with a soul for music, will feel and give out 
something, whose very essence has nothing to do 
with the intellect and which the most formidable 
intellect is powerless to grasp. 

The same thing is true of painting and poetry 
and sculpture. The feelings which inspire them 
and the feelings which they arouse in receptive 
souls are totally independent of the intellect. 

The reason may argue that as one leg of the 
Venus de Milo is found by measurement to b 
considerably shorter than the other, it is absurd 

169 



HEART AND SOUL 

to call that a beautiful figure of a woman — or that 
it should excite as much admiration as a scientifi- 
cally constructed statue in which all the propor- 
tions would be in accord with carefully tabulated 
statistics. 

As a photograph of a young and healthy girl 
is more accurate and more pleasing in subject 
than a painting of an old woman, what reason is 
there for it to arouse less esthetic feeling than an 
immortal portrait by Rembrandt? 

If a description of a small water course, drawn 
up by a surveyor and a lawyer, is exact and com- 
prehensive, why should it not appeal to the imag- 
ination and sense of beauty more satisfactorily 
than a poem by Tennyson, entitled "The Brook f " 

The obvious answer is that in all such questions 
the intellect is out of its element, trying to lay 
hands on something which has no tangible sub- 
stance. 

If this point-of-view is not enough to give your 
intellect food for thought and suggest its very 
decided limitations in the life of man, you may 
turn its light upon the simplest and most material 
sensations and feelings which belong to the ani- 
mal nature and are common to all mankind. 

What reason is there for my brother to dote 
on fried onions, while I cannot endure them? 
Why does my uncle like pig's feet and eels and 

170 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

snails, while my wife is made almost ill at the 
sight of them? Your intellect may tell you that 
you ought to like the taste of castor oil, because 
it is good for you ; but all the intellect in the world 
cannot make you like the taste of castor oil. 

The taste, the savor, the feel of things — whether 
it be in the material world, or the esthetic world, 
or the spiritual world — is a part of life in which 
the intellect is forever condemned to remain an 
outsider. It may be very much interested in what 
is going on, it may reason with the causes and 
effects and characteristics of what it sees ; it may 
make suggestions to the will-power and argue 
against the impulses which are prompted by the 
feelings ; but it cannot prevent the feelings, or the 
impulses, from being there and having their say. 

The life and say of the feelings mean much to 
the welfare of each individual. Let us suppose 
that the circumstances of my life were such that 
I could truthfully express myself as follows: 

"I feel well and strong; I feel that I love my 
wife devotedly and my wife returns that love; I 
feel immense affection for my children; I feel I 
would make any and every sacrifice to protect 
them and my wife from harm; I feel very hopeful 
about the future, both for my family and myself ; 
I feel I have done my best, in accordance with my 
ability; I have a feeling of loyalty to my friends 

171 



HEAET AND SOUL 

and a feeling of honor in my dealings with my 
fellow men ; I feel content with my lot, in particu- 
lar, and the way of the world, in general; and 
whether my life was evolved from a monkey and 
a protoplasm, or came into being as a divine and 
perfect conception, I feel an abiding faith in an 
all-wise but mysterious purpose for everything. ' ' 

There are no material considerations, or calcu- 
lations of self-interest, or reasoning processes, in 
this kind of summary. It is made up exclusively 
of fundamental and spontaneous feelings which 
are in existence, to a greater or less extent, among 
all sorts and manners of individuals, in any 
known stage of civilization. A peasant living 
in a hut, in a vineyard in Sicily, is just as capable 
of having them, as a millionaire living in a city 
palace, or a scientist presiding over an academy 
of learning. A native Patagonian, or a Swede, or 
a Chinaman, may be just as susceptible to them 
as a French artist, or an American steel king. As 
they come from the inner nature, and as all men 
have an inner nature, it is possible for them to 
be experienced by all men. 

There are, of course, countless other beautiful 
and inspired feelings that may come to life in the 
inner nature of an individual, but the few simple 
ones which we have suggested are sufficient for 
an illustration. 

172 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

Now let us imagine, for a moment, another il- 
lustration. Let us imagine that a modern intellect, 
scientifically trained and enlightened, undertook 
to investigate, analyze, dissect, in a methodical 
and accurate way, the facts which gave rise to 
my feelings, or are implied by them, in an effort 
to determine the reason and reasonableness of 
such interesting phenomena. 

I feel well and strong. "But," says he, "that 
does not necessarily prove that you are well or 
strong. It may be merely an assumption founded 
on ignorance of scientific facts. ' ' The proper way 
to determine how well and strong I am is to have 
my health and strength tested and rated in an 
expert way. According to the report of such an 
expert, my state of health is only 63 per cent 
normal and my strength is less than 50 per cent 
of standard for my weight and age. 

Strictly speaking, I am neither well nor strong, 
and my feeling in that respect may be dismissed 
as unwarranted by the facts and consequently 
unreasonable. 

"I feel that I love my wife devotedly and that 
my wife returns that love." 

"But," says the intellect, "those are only 
words. As a matter of fact, how severe and ac- 
curate a test have either of those devotions been 
submitted to! Have you ever been thrown into 

173 



HEAET AND SOUL 

contact, alone and undisturbed, with a woman who 
is more beautiful and more appealing than your 
wife — who yearns for you and invites you with 
abandoned intensity? Has your wife's devotion 
been subjected to a corresponding test? Until 
that has been done, it is only reasonable to as- 
sume that there may be a good deal of exaggera- 
tion and self-delusion in the conclusions which 
you have arrived at. As there are certain preju- 
dices and difficulties in the way of having these 
tests made, and as neither you nor your wife 
appear willing for the other to try them, any sat- 
isfactory estimate of your reciprocal devotions 
must remain in abeyance. Our statistics show, 
however, that in 87 per cent, of the cases where 
a mutual and unalterable devotion is supposed 
to exist, the determining factor on one side or 
the other, is the accidental absence of a sufficiently 
appealing opportunity. The evidence of the di- 
vorce courts offers a valuable source of informa- 
tion on this phase of the subject. Purely as a 
matter of averages, the conjecture may be haz- 
arded that your assumption in this regard, as 
in the other, may be founded on a misconception. ' ' 
In the same way, the intellect may introduce 
reasons and deductions in criticism of my hopes 
for my children, and the fallacies which may have 

174 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

crept into my theories of loyalty and honor and 
aspiration. 

Finally, he might say: "Permit me to observe 
that you made a curious and somewhat amazing 
statement, just now, in reference to faith and an 
all-wise purpose. Is it possible that you are still 
under the influence of an out-grown mediaeval 
superstition? The only reasonable assumption 
with regard to man's place in the universe has 
been quite clearly and scientifically established 
by the modern theory of evolution. It appears 
from that, that you and I are descended from an 
ape, which in turn is a second-cousin-once-re- 
moved, so to speak, of the bat, the spider, and 
the shark. We are all animals together, slowly 
passing through different phases of evolution, 
and man owes his existence entirely to the acci- 
dental results of natural selection and survival 
of the fittest. Man's tribe happens to be more nu- 
merous than that of the elephant, or the whale, 
which are larger animals; but less numerous 
than that of the ant, which is almost his 
equal in intelligence and decidedly more indus- 
trious, though it is so much smaller than man. 
Millions of ants come into existence and go out of 
existence, every day, without making any appre- 
ciable difference in the gradual processes of evolu- 
tion. The same thing may be said of man — or bats 

175 



HEART AND SOUL 

and whales. Surely it is high time that a well-edu- 
cated person of the twentieth century should con- 
sider such things from a reasonable, scientific 
point-of-view. ,, 

When he has finished with this, if I am still in 
a receptive mood, he may condescend to explain 
to me that self-interest and enlightened reason 
supply the true and underlying motives for all 
conduct ; and that this is the only conception of life 
which is susceptible of intelligent explanation. 

As a matter of fact, although this illustration 
is entirely fanciful, I was given a book to read, 
the other day, a modern book on morals, in 
which this was the gist of the argument through- 
out — enlightened self-interest, or selfishness, as 
the only sound and sufficient motive for every- 
thing we do. The friend who gave it to me 
had accepted it as scientific and authoritative and 
was thoroughly in accord with its conclusions. 
I may add that this particular "friend," as far 
as I have been able to observe, is the quintes- 
sence of selfishness. 

My purpose, in imagining these illustrations, 
was to render obvious and palpable the limita- 
tions of the intellect, when it attempts to trans- 
late feelings into terms of reason, or when it 
attempts to substitute scientific calculations for 
spontaneous emotions. The essence of one is 

176 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

feeling; the essence of the other is logic; and 
the idea of replacing the former by the latter 
is about as incongruous as an attempt to paint 
the perfume of a violet with an adding machine. 

In the heart and soul and even in the esthetic 
nature of every individual is that mysterious ele- 
ment, which goes back to the beginning of creation 
In many of the finest and most important acts of 
man, it may supply either the determining cause, 
or the principal effect. It cannot be explained 
in terms of material self-interest, or enlightened 
reason, because its essence is neither material nor 
reasonable. It has in it a touch of the ideal and 
divine, which was implanted in man, or has 
evolved in man, in accordance with the all-wise 
intention. 

When we have succeeded in arriving at a clear 
realization of this fundamental truth, and 
imagine we have put man's intellect back in the 
place where it properly belongs, we must pause a 
moment to make equally clear that we must not 
under-estimate the wonder and importance of that 
same intellect, in the life of every individual and 
the life of mankind in general. 

In this age of science, the attention and inter- 
est of the universe have been largely focussed 
on the marvellous achievements of the human in- 
tellect. Discoveries, inventions, advanced meth- 

177 



HEABT AND SOUL 

ods and great strides of progress in countless 
directions are the boast and pride of modern 
times. There is no disputing this, nor is there 
any doubt but that a great wave of scientific ac- 
complishment, which was somewhat slow in devel- 
oping, has, within the last two generations, sud- 
denly assumed the most stupendous and bewild- 
ering proportions. The railroad and the auto- 
mobile; the telephone and electric light; the air- 
plane, phonograph, moving picture; anti-septic 
surgery and the germ theory of disease ; the dread- 
nought, the submarine and wireless telegraphy ; — 
these are but a few striking examples of the hun- 
dreds and thousands of achievements which the 
intellect has been able to accomplish in a compara- 
tively short space of time. 

No wonder that we hear and read on all sides 
such constant and confident reference to the u ad- 
vancement of science," the " progress of human- 
ity," and the bewildering resourcefulness of 
man's brain. 

All those achievements are objective and im- 
personal; they concern the comforts and welfare, 
of each and every one of us, to a greater or less 
extent, but in a purely material and general way. 

When we turn to the personal life of the indi- 
vidual and consider his acts and motives, sub- 

178 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

jectively, we find that the role played by the in- 
tellect is almost equally important. 

As we have seen in our previous discussions, 
the intellect has a say in nearly everything we 
do, or think of doing. It enquires into the cause, 
and considers the effect, and passes judgment, 
for or against, in accordance with the dictates 
of its reason. If a certain instinct within us, 
which may be purely animal, has a need for food 
or water, the intellect recognizes and approves 
the need; but if the food and water set before 
us is poisonous or unfit, it is the intellect which 
determines that and overrules the instinct. If 
another instinct, or impulse, prompts us to set 
fire to a house, or jump out of a window, the 
intellect decides that such an act would be un- 
reasonable and forbids us to do so. 

It frequently happens that two or more of our 
instincts, inclinations, desires, are opposed to 
each other. I want to eat my apple now ; I want 
to keep it to eat at the ball-game; and I want to 
trade it for Tim's lignum- vitae top. In such a 
case, it is the intellect which considers the ad- 
vantages and disadvantages of each and an- 
nounces its decision. If it is a healthy intellect, 
in good control, it will enforce its decision, too; 
but even if it is n 't, and an unruly impulse proves 
too strong to be denied, that won't prevent the 

179 



HEART AND SOUL 

intellect from pointing ont the mistake that is 
being made and keeping it in memory for future 
reference. 

It is not necessary to go over all this ground 
again. We have already examined it with suffi- 
cient care in connection with the first answer 
which we gave to the up-to-date youth who wanted 
to know why he should n 't follow his every inclina- 
tion. The various examples which we cited to 
illustrate the significance of reason and experi- 
ence are enough to establish the point we are 
now making. 

As far as the material things of this world 
are concerned, and the material needs of the indi- 
vidual, the intellect is generally and properly 
acknowledged as the sovereign master. The rule 
of reason in private life; and the rule of science 
in civilization have become more and more the 
accepted standards of the world in which we live. 

If an instinct or a desire is unreasonable, it 
should not be allowed to prevail ; if a tradition or 
a convention of the past is unscientific, it should 
be discarded and ridiculed as something out-of- 
date. That is the conclusion which advanced 
intellects have reached through scientific meth- 
ods of enlightenment; it is the message they have 
been communicating, the example which they have 
been setting, until the wide-spread results are be- 

180 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

coming increasingly apparent among all classes 
and in nearly all places, where modern science and 
civilization have penetrated. 

It ought not to be very difficult for any one to 
recognize and understand why the methods of 
science and the rule of reason occupy such a 
dominant place in public estimation as they un- 
doubtedly do to-day. The only natural question 
is why they have not always, in by-gone genera- 
tions, occupied just as high a place. The an- 
swer to this question is very simple, though some 
people's attention may not have been called to it. 
The scientific method of investigation, as we 
know it to-day, is a comparatively recent product 
of the human intellect. There was no science of 
any such kind when Homer wrote the Iliad, or 
when the Christian religion was founded, or when 
Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa and 
Shakespeare wrote his masterpieces. Even at 
the time our great American republic was put into 
operation, modern science was still in its swad- 
dling clothes. It is only in the last two genera- 
tions that it may be said to have reached its true 
form and begun turning out in rapid succession 
the multitude of discoveries and inventions which 
have had such an immense effect in the daily life 
of civilization. 

It also takes a certain amount of time for great 

181 



HEABT AND SOUL 

changes to permeate, and become absorbed by 
masses of people, so that it should not seem 
strange if many of the indirect results have only 
begun to be noticeable within the past few years. 

And now if we look about and pause to reflect 
on these triumphs of modern science, as they affect 
the life and ideas and feelings of the average indi- 
vidual, a very curious and somewhat startling 
question is liable to suggest itself. 

Is it possible that right here may be the main 
and underlying cause of the so-called "demorali- 
zation" of the present generation? Is it possible 
that the "impossible notions' ' and the equally 
"impossible conduct " of the up-to-date young 
people which grandmother finds so shocking are 
traceable to this source? Is it possible that faith, 
honor, loyalty and other ideals and aspirations 
of man's better nature, are being neglected and 
corrupted by the methods of modern science and 
the rule of reason? 

The very idea of such a possibility, when it 
first dawned upon me, seemed like such a pal- 
pable absurdity that I put it aside, yet as I fol- 
lowed the other trains of thought which have been 
under discussion, this idea kept recurring with 
greater and greater persistency. If it happened 
to be true, the lesson to be derived from it might 
prove so important and helpful to struggling hu- 

182 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

inanity, that it appears to me, now, entitled to 
careful consideration. 

Let ns begin with a general commentary and 
ask ourselves — How comes it, while scientific 
methods have achieved such amazing results in 
the material world, they have not succeeded 
equally well in improving the inner nature of 
man? How comes it that science, with all its 
investigations and accurately reasoned conclu- 
sions, cannot show the individuals of the present 
day how to make better paintings than Raphael 
or Titian? Or better statues than Michael An- 
gelo? Or better music than Chopin or Wagner? 
Or better literature than Moliere or Shakespeare? 

It can show him how to make a hundred times 
better ship, or factory, or surgical operation ; but 
when it comes to this other kind of thing, it ap- 
pears to have made no improvement at all. Those 
artists we have named and hundreds of others 
in past centuries, who made immortal master- 
pieces, had no intellects enlightened by modern 
science, nor any of the benefits of modern educa- 
tion and progress. If we may judge at all by 
results (which is the modern, enlightened way), 
the only effect of science in teaching people how 
to get an inspiration and find a beautiful expres- 
sion for it, has been a detriment rather than a 
help. 

183 



HEAET AND SOUL 

If you take a boy to-day, who has a natural bent 
for poetry, or painting, how much will you help 
him by filling his mind with scientific methods and 
theories, rules and exceptions, deductions and 
compilations, of the various elements which should 
logically determine the value of the finished pro- 
duct? By giving his intellect a thorough course 
in scientific training, which may occupy his time 
and absorb his energy for many years, is it 
not possible that you will turn out in the end 
a plodding hack, instead of the inspired artist who 
might have been? 

Did anybody ever feel the poetic beauty of a 
rose with greater intensity for having examined 
its petals through a microscope, and learned to 
classify it scientifically, both as to species and 
variety? 

Did anybody ever learn by scientific rules 
of grammar and classified tables of words, 
to speak a foreign language with the ease and 
charm of a child, who picks it up from a stupid 
governess in one-tenth the time? The childlike, 
natural way to learn a language is to absorb it 
into the system, almost without effort, until it 
becomes a part of second nature — in much the 
same way that we absorb tunes. Without the 
slightest conscious effort, we are absorbing and 
retaining countless bars of music, all through our 

184 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

lives — yet can anybody imagine an enlightened 
intellect, undertaking to analyze and classify with 
scientific method the use of sharps and flats in 
different kinds of bars, and attempting to learn 
them in that form? 

Homer's Iliad and Virgil 's ^Eneid are generally 
regarded as great masterpieces of literature. 
They are full of poetic feeling, imagination, charm 
and inspiring sentiments. They are still being read 
by thousands of boys and girls, every year, 
but they are being read to the accompaniment of 
grammars, lexicons, and the commentary of 
learned professors, upon roots, derivatives and 
obsolete usages. A vast amount of time and 
energy is devoted to this undertaking, which is 
usually justified on the ground that it affords ex- 
cellent training for the intellect. But how about 
the feelings of admiration and enthusiasm which 
works of such great beauty were intended to in- 
spire? Are they exercised to the same extent? 
Or is the tendency rather to trammel and divert 
them by so much laborious and irrelevant inter- 
ference ? 

When we turn to the more personal feelings of 
the individual, in his intimate relations with other 
beings, is not the situation much the same? Has 
scientific thought discovered, or devised, any 
means of increasing the warmth and tenderness of 

185 



HEART AND SOUL 

the human heart? Has the rule of reason made 
husbands and wives any more devoted to each 
other, or to their friends ? It has succeeded in pro- 
viding a great many people with a telephone and 
an automobile, but has it succeeded equally well in 
providing them with generous feelings of self- 
denial and consideration for others? Or has its 
tendency, on the contrary, been rather to inter- 
fere with the spontaneous development of such 
feelings, by attempting to replace them by an 
analysis of human motives in which calculations 
of self-interest are made the prime factor? 

But it is only when we come to the spiritual 
feelings that the really radical effects of science 
upon man's nature are encountered. And the 
method of these changes is so eminently " reason- 
able/ ' as to be almost self-explanatory. 

First is the question of religion, which in all 
countries and at all times has been such an im- 
portant influence in the conduct of mankind. For 
the time being, let us be content to confine our 
attention to our own country and our own Chris- 
tian religion, and ask ourselves frankly what con- 
clusions the modern methods of scientific investi- 
gation and the modern rule of reason might be 
expected to arrive at in regard to that? What 
about all the miracles so devoutly recorded in the 
Bible ? Through investigation and reason, science 

186 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

to-day considers itself in a position to pronou^ 
them totally unscientific; and the rule of reason 
concludes that they were presumably founded on 
the imagination, credulity and ignorance which 
prevailed in an unenlightened period. What about 
the angels with the flaming swords, and the voices 
from on high, the golden thrones of heaven, the 
raging fires of hell, and the childlike account of 
the worlds creation? With the same complacent 
assurance, modern science and reason are pleased 
to brush them aside as concoctions of ignorance 
and credulity. And so with countless other ideas 
set down in this same holy book — the motives of 
jealousy and vanity attributed to the all-wise Ruler 
— His insistence upon formalities in the manner 
of worship and baptism and christening — His 
threats concerning other alleged gods and unbe- 
lievers, who dare to dispute His sovereignty. All 
such ideas, when subjected to the acid test of sci- 
entifically enlightened reason, are shown in the 
colors of absurdity and ridicule. 

The general conclusion arrived at by this kind 
of investigation is considered by scientific minds 
entirely logical and inevitable. As this so-called 
holy book is found to contain so many errors, 
inaccuracies, false statements and absurdities, the 
notion, or claim, of its being a ' ' revelation, ' ' com- 
municated, or inspired, from a supernatural 

187 



HEABT AND SOUL 

source, is unreasonable and untenable. An all-wise 

Creator could not be ignorant, or inaccurate. This 

i 

particular book, like many other similar and rival 
ones to be found in other parts of the world, may 
be scientifically assumed to be no more than a 
typical and very creditable product of the unen- 
lightened civilization which gave it birth. 

This tendency and effect of modern science 
is so direct and obvious that he who runs may 
read. How far it has already spread and acted 
upon the great numbers of people who compose 
our population is not possible to determine. Nor 
is it of any great importance. As we observed 
before, it takes considerable time for great 
changes of this sort to permeate to and become ab- 
sorbed by the masses. But the evidence is only 
too plain, on all sides, that this operation is now 
in full swing and gaining ground rapidly. 
Among the up-to-date people of the new genera- 
tion, the religious beliefs of a very large pro- 
portion have become so confused and unsettled 
by it, that they are no longer quite sure in their 
own hearts whether they have any at all. If 
you have any doubts about this matter, or have 
overlooked it, a very little enquiry among the 
people you meet every day, of all classes and 
kinds, will suffice to bring it home to you. 

Of course, there are still in every community 

188 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

a considerable number of people who cling brave- 
ly to the traditions of the past, who deplore and 
combat with indignation the up-to-date and demor- 
alizing tendencies; who still believe in their re- 
ligion as firmly as ever, who still regard the Bible 
as a divine revelation; and who still display the 
same fervid attachment to the various forms and 
ceremonies of their particular church. 

There are also probably a few who, for pri- 
vate reasons, although they have really ceased 
to believe, are still to be found sitting in church 
pews. 

But when we consider that modern scientific 
methods are of comparatively recent origin, the 
wonder should be, not that so many people have 
resisted their tendencies in the matter of religion 
and still cling to their beliefs, but that such great 
numbers have been affected by them in so short 
a time. 

It seems only too plain and palpable that this 
is the inevitable tendency of modern science, when 
brought to bear upon traditional doctrines. It 
eats them away, bit by bit, and step by step, until 
there is nothing left but a crumbling residue. 

But this is only one side of it — the negative 
side — which applies to what science has been 
taking down. There is also a positive side, which 

189 



HEAET AND SOUL 

applies to what science has undertaken to set up 
in its place. 

As we have had occasion to note, the fundamen- 
tal feelings of faith and aspiration are not de- 
pendent upon any particular form of religion. 
Faith has been found to subsist and flourish un- 
der various creeds and all manners of worship, 
in all stages of civilization. All that it wants is 
something to shelter and sustain and encourage 
it, in its struggles against the baser instincts. 
Any religion which does this, by appealing to the 
imagination and inspiring whole-souled belief, 
might be considered satisfactory in any given 
community. 

The next question, therefore, which we are en- 
titled to ask ourselves is this : 

After science has succeeded in eating into and 
breaking down the particular temple in which our 
fundamental faith had found a refuge, what fit- 
ting substitute has it been able to discover or de- 
vise, in order to meet this universal requirement? 

The nearest approach to a scientific answer ap- 
pears to be the theory of evolution, which informs 
man that, instead of being a special and majestic 
creation of an all-wise Almighty, as he had so 
foolishly and ignorantly imagined, he can con- 
sider himself a remote and more or less acci- 
dental, development of a protoplasm; and more 

190 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

immediately, the lineal descendant of the ape, to 
whom he still bears a close resemblance, in a 
scientific way. 

As there is nothing about an ape, or a proto- 
plasm to be accepted as a haven of refuge, science 
points to another conclusion. (And in quoting 
science, here or elsewhere, let it be borne in mind 
that I make no claim of speaking as a scientific 
expert, but am merely attempting to give the gen- 
eral gist and point-of-view as it affects the aver- 
age intelligence. In such a general way, this, then, 
is what science says:) 

"If you must worship something, instead of 
taking a figment of the imagination, why not pick 
out something real and established, about whose 
insistence there can be no doubt — the most logical 
and admirable thing on earth — your own self and 
your scientifically enlightened intellect? If you 
need a creed of some sort, to take the place of the 
antiquated one which science has broken down, 
why not accept a pleasing and simple creed which 
is entirely logical? Let your conduct be governed 
at all times by your own self-interest and the 
rule of reason. For everything that happens in 
this world, there must be a cause ; and for every 
act of a living thing, there must be a motive, 
either conscious or unconscious. These are u?ii- 
versal facts which have been adequately estab- 

191 



HEAET AND SOUL 

lished by scientific research. In the case of an 
individual man, the only logical and sufficient mo- 
tive which can be arrived at in a scientific wav, 
to explain his conduct, under any and all cir- 
cumstances, is the principle of self-interest, which 
he shares, with all other animals. This may be 
conscious or unconscious, more or less enlight- 
ened, or more or less deluded by ignorance and 
instinct ; but that in no way affects the application 
of the principle.' ' 

This is the only practical substitute which sci- 
ence has to offer for the religious structures which 
it has been slowly, but surely, destroying. But as 
this also is no haven of refuge for the vague feel- 
ings of faith and aspiration, where are they to 
go? In the process of demolition, they appear to 
have have been left groping about, more dead 
than alive, under the ruins. 

With an upheaval of this kind, spreading in 
the souls of great numbers of people, and their 
fundamental faith groping in confusion, is there 
anything strange in the fact that we hear and see 
constant references to "the spirit of unrest/ ' 
which has become so prevalent among all classes 
at the present time? 

In the relations of capital and labor, in the 
political world and the business world; in the di- 
vorce courts and domestic life, the deportment 

192 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

of women and the bringing up of children ; in vari- 
ous other forms and directions, both public and 
private, no less than in church circles — there has 
been rapidly accumulating evidence of a mysteri- 
ous influence of some sort, with a tendency to 
confuse and unsettle the standards and conduct 
of mankind. 

This state of affairs is not confined to our own 
country. It appears to be equally evident in Eng- 
land, if we may believe the testimony of those 
who pretend to know. In confirmation of this, it 
may be worth while to give a few quotations from 
a more or less authoritative and much discussed 
English book which was published recently. In 
the concluding chapter of his work, the author 
refers more particularly to the aristocracy of 
England, a privileged class of men who in the past 
have generally been considered a bulwark of tra- 
ditional and lofty standards. 

At the present time, the author says : 

We are a nation without standards, kept in health rather 
by memories which are fading than by examples which are 
compelling. . . We still march to the dying music of great 
traditions, but there is no captain of civilization at the head 
of our ranks. We have indeed almost ceased to be an army 
marching with confidence towards the enemy, and have become 
a mob breaking impatiently loose from the discipline and ideals 
of our past. 

. . . Aristocracy has lost its respect for learning, it has 
grown careless of manners, it has abandoned faith in its duty, 
it is conscious of no solemn obligations, but it still remains 

193 



HEABT AND SOUL 

for the multitude a true aristocracy, and looking up at that 
aristocracy, for its standards, the multitude has become ma- 
terialistic, throwing Puritanism to the dogs, and pushing as 
heartily forward to the trough as any full-fed glutton in the 
middle or the upper ranks of life. 

. . . There is no example of modesty, restraint, thrift, duty, 
or culture. Everything is sensual and ostentatious, and 
shamefacedly sensual and ostentatious. 

... It is a grievous thing to corrupt the minds of the sim- 
ple. The poor have always believed in heartiness and cheer- 
fulness. All their proverbs spring out of a keen sense of 
virtue. All their games are of a manly character. To ma- 
terialize this glorious people, to commercialize and mamonize 
it, to make it think of economics, instead of life, to make it 
bitter, discontented and tyrannous, this is to strike at the very 
heart of England. 

The author of this book has a very clear idea, 
very forcibly expressed, that the example of the 
upper classes, the leading citizens in the com- 
munity, exerts a great influence on the others. 
That is a universal principle which applies, in 
greater or less degree, to all other countries, in- 
cluding America. It furnishes a simple explana- 
tion of how comparatively stupid people, who 
do very little thinking of any kind, may be found 
putting into effect motives and points-of-view 
which owe their origin to the enlightened reason 
of a few superior intellects. 

Also it may be observed that while the author 
appears to recognize and affirm with conviction a 
general demoralization of standards among the 
aristocracy, he does not attempt to suggest any 
visible cause for it. It may be gathered, in a 

194 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

way, that tie takes for granted that, somehow, 
it is a consequence of the World War. This no- 
tion, as we have seen, is so apt to be fallen back on 
as a convenient excuse for anything and every- 
thing that is now taking place. 

But to the best of my knowledge and belief, 
confirmed by all manner of testimony and infor- 
mation, the tendencies in England which the au- 
thor refers to, no less than the similar tendencies 
in America, were plainly in evidence and rapidly 
gathering momentum before the beginning of war. 

For tendencies which appear to be world-wide, 
it is fair to assume that there must be some cause, 
or causes, which are world-wide also. The spread 
of modern science complies with that. Our Eng- 
lish author refers to the declining influence and 
lack of vitality of the English church, without 
hazarding an opinion as to the cause. The idea 
which we have gotten hold of affords a clue to 
that part of it, at least. 

If it is also a clue to all the rest, as I suggest 
it may be, then, by following its lead in different 
directions, we ought to unearth lucid explana- 
tions for the various phenomena which are dis- 
turbing and perplexing so many people. 

Let us go on a little further and see just what 
we do find. 

Let us imagine, for a moment, that I am a work- 

195 



HEABT AND SOUL 

man, a mechanic, of the average intelligence to 
be fonnd among the great run of so-called com- 
mon people. I have heard enongh about modern 
science to be lost in wonder of it and I received 
a good modern education at the high school. I 
gave up going to church because it didn't appeal 
to me — a lot of the Bible preaching seemed out- 
of-date, unreasonable and unpractical. I've 
heard a little about this theory of evolution — 
man descended from an ape — and as modern sci- 
ence is said to have proved it, I guess it must be 
so. The main thing that concerns me is that I'm 
here, on the job, with a living to make. There are 
a lot of other men around me, about the same as 
I am. We're reasonable and practical and be- 
lieve in getting all we can, honestly. We think 
we're about as good as anybody else and we be- 
lieve in the rule of the majority. 

When I look about at the people born luckier 
than I am, with more of the world 's goods, I can 't 
see that they're any different from the rest of 
us. They're trying to get all they can, too, only 
they've managed to get a blame sight more than 
the rest of us. Take my boss, for instance. Is 
there any reason for him to be living in a big 
house with eight servants, and riding around in 
a limousine car, when all I can afford is a flivver? 
Does he work any harder than I do? Is he any 

196 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

better man? or any smarter? I have n't seen any 
proof of it. But just because lie happened to 
have a rich father before him, he 's allowed to get 
the lion's share of all we make. Is that reason- 
able? We all want the good things of life, as 
much as he does, and if we're in the majority, 
why should n 't we have our share ? 

He didn't make the capital that 's in this busi- 
ness, and he did n't have anything to do with mak- 
ing his rich father; and the money his father 
made, when you come down to it, was squeezed 
from men like us. If the world is supposed to be 
run by reason, and reason says the majority ought 
to rule, why shouldn't each one of us have an 
equal share with him? 

I'm thinking of myself, of course, the same as 
everybody else — first, last and all the time — and 
in that way I 'd be a lot better off, but that does n 't 
prevent what I want from being reasonable. 

Without saying it, in so many words, is it not 
plain that I am merely following in a way that 
an ordinary mind might understand, the creed 
which science has recommended as the underlying 
motive for all conduct — self-interest and the rule 
of reason. 

Doubtless a very highly developed scientific in- 
tellect might declare that my reason is not suffi- 
ciently enlightened; but it has received a high 

197 



HEART AND SOUL 

school education, and looked about at what other 
people are doing, and formed the scientific habit 
of sticking to the facts. Is n't that about as much 
as Enlightened Eeason could expect of me? 

Now if you happen to be another type of work- 
man, less affected by the modern scientific conclu- 
sions concerning life, you might reply as follows : 

"I feel very contented and humbly grateful to 
the Lord for all the benefits he has given us. I 
am well and strong, I have a better home, and bet- 
ter wages, and squarer treatment than workmen 
ever received in any country in the world. I can 
make enough to provide modestly and comfortly 
for my wife and children, which after all is the 
main thing for my happiness. It is not for me 
to pass judgment on the life of our employer, or 
his inheritance, or the life of his father before 
him, or the great scheme of human existence which 
is behind and beyond it all. It is enough for me 
to accept such things, as the wish of an all-wise 
Creator." 

Of these two opposing points of view, which 
appears to be the one that has been spreading and 
gaining in the world to-day — in America and Eng- 
land, Italy, France, Spain and other countries? 
Which one is dependent upon the fundamental 
feelings of faith and aspiration, which have al- 

198 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

ways found shelter in a religion of some sort — 
and which one may be traced, almost directly, to 
a crude interpretation of the progress and dic- 
tates of modern science? 

And let it be noted that in this field, also, before 
the world war began, this movement of self-in- 
terest and reason was already in evidence and well 
on its way. 

If we examine the Labor Union and the Closed 
Shop, and Strikes and Socialism and Bolshevism, 
and all those other kindred isms, we can see, 
readily enough, that the under side of them all is 
tarred with the same brush — self-interest, selfish- 
ness, greed, individual and collective, and reason, 
argument, excuse, more or less distorted and per- 
verted, but more or less enlightened by the prin- 
ciples of modern Science, as they appear to the 
average intellect. The fundamental and innate 
spiritual feelings of man's better nature have 
been so covered over by the energy of this brush 
that, for the most part, they are only rarely and 
intermittently discernible. 

Suppose we now follow our clue in another di- 
rection — into the home and family and private 
life of the average up-to-date woman. And it is 
permitted us to imagine, if we choose, that I am 
such a woman, while you are my well-meaning, 
but rather out-of-date, husband. 

199 



HEART AND SOUL 

I have received my education at a typical 
school of the present day, organized on thorough- 
ly modern and scientific principles. In my studies 
and my general instruction, I have learned to 
consider everything from a strictly rational point- 
of-view — hygiene, psychology, economics, the 
equal rights of the individual, the expediency of 
the laws, the need of judges to interpret them and 
of police to enforce them — and a variety of other 
school subjects which are regarded as an excel- 
lent training for the intellect. Among other 
things which I learned very quickly, both outside 
and inside of school, is that most pompous and 
impressive preachers don't practise what they 
preach. Its so unpractical and unreasonable that 
it appears to be a sort of pretence and convention 
for the benefit of the young and gullible. I find 
it more sensible to be guided by what other in- 
telligent people around you are actually doing 
and learn in that way what they really think. 

This is the era of woman's emancipation and 
the most intellectual and leading women of to- 
day believe that woman is the equal of man ; and 
has as much right as he to the privileges and 
freedom of action, in every direction, which he 
was able so long and so unfairly to reserve for 
himself. As other women think that way about 
it and it's much more satisfactory to me, I thor- 

200 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

oughly agree with them. Marriage is an agree- 
ment between equals, a partnership for mutual 
convenience and happiness, and exactly the same 
obligations apply to one, as the other. If men find 
pleasure in smoking and drinking and gambling 
and flirting with pretty women, why shouldn't I 
smoke and drink and gamble and flirt with attrac- 
tive men? It other women paint their faces, or 
dye their hair, or wear short skirts to show their 
silk stockings, or low-necked and low-backed 
gowns, to make themselves more attractive, why 
shouldn't I! 

In regard to my children, I love them, of course, 
and I believe in bringing them up in accordance 
with modern, enlightened ideas. First of all, I 
want their love and affection — the pleasure of 
having them run to me and throw their arms about 
me, when I come into the room. If I scold them 
and spank them and keep interfering with their 
natural instincts, I might end up by making them 
afraid of me — as they are of their father. I do n't 
want that. I much prefer to pet them and spoil 
them and find excuses for them. 

I have so many interests and engagements of 
my own to attend to, — social, civic, musical, char- 
itable — that I haven't much time or nerves left, 
to devote to my children. An up-to-date emanci- 
pated woman could hardly be expected to subject 

201 



HEABT AND SOUL 

herself to that kind of hum-drum strain, in any 
case. My nervous system is very highly organ- 
ized and their restless activity makes me irritable. 
I could n't stand very much of it — even if I did n't 
have my own affairs to occupy most of my time. 
I always try to make it a point, however, to see 
them and kiss them and have them throw their 
arms about me, before going to bed. I get the 
best nurse I can for them — the present one is a 
Swede, the last one, Irish — but they seem to be 
such stupid, cranky things! However, one thing 
I insist upon — they are not to slap the children, 
and are to let them have their own way, as far 
as possible. And I make it equally plain to the 
children that if they have any grievance, they 
need n 't mind about their father — all they have 
to do is come to me, and throw their arms about 
my neck, and I will do the best to straighten it 
out for them. That does a great deal to help me 
keep their affection. 

If I get tired of my husband and cease to love 
him (or find some other man whom I love more), or 
if my husband neglects and humiliates me and I 
find him involved in an affair with another 
woman; or for any other reason which seems 
sufficient to me; I consider it only proper that I 
should have the right to go to a divorce court and 
dissolve the partnership. As it is an arrangement 

202 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

between equals, for mutual convenience and happi- 
ness, when it ceases to be convenient or agreeable 
to me, it is perfectly reasonable that I should with- 
draw. That is to my self-interest guided by rea- 
son. Thousands upon thousands of other women 
are doing it, and no up-to-date enlightened person 
thinks any the worse of them — so why should n't I? 

You, my well meaning, but out-of-date husband, 
may be imagined as replying to this briefly as 
follows : 

"What has become of all the deep and beauti- 
ful feelings of faith and devotion and self-sacrifice, 
which throughout the ages have given a heavenly 
significance to the ideal of motherhood and wife- 
hood? Woman was not made in the same mold 
as man and such was evidently not the intention 
of the all- wise Creator. But in man's imagina- 
tion and in his better nature, the essence of 
woman's purpose and greatness has appeared to 
consist in being a sort of guardian angel of the 
home and family. Her crown was made of purity, 
chastity, modesty, infinite tenderness and patience 
and underlying fidelity to her sacred cause. It is 
to her in this capacity, with such a crown upon 
her head, that the noblest of men have been will- 
ing to bow down, in humbleness and submission, 
not as to an equal, or a rival in worldly prowess, 
but as to a superior and more exquisite soul. 

203 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

"That is the birthright of woman, the glory of 
her creation, yet between your petty motives of 
self-interest and the up-to-date enlightenment of 
your intellect, you are trying to argue it off the 
face of the earth. You have exchanged a spir- 
itual ideal of womanhood for a material mess of 
pottage.' ' 

There have been plenty of vain and selfish 
women, in the past, just as there have been profli- 
gate women and immoral men; but in the com- 
munities of the past, where faith and aspiration 
were wont to flourish and be sustained and en- 
couraged by religion, such selfishness was not to 
be avowed or imitated. In the light of finer and 
more spiritual feelings, it appeared as a deficiency 
and corruption of character. But in the up-to- 
date rule of reason, backed by the analysis and 
conclusions of science, there is no need to conceal 
it, or excuse it. It is the strong minds, not the 
weak ones, which set the example; the enlight- 
ened, scientific, matter-of-fact intellects, which 
proclaim the principle and encourage the timid 
and less advanced to follow in their wake. 

As regards the training of children, up-to-date 
considerations of self-interest on the part of the 
parents, mixed in with instinctive love, as I have 
suggested by my illustration, would naturally re- 

204 

I 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

suit in giving them an early start on the broad 
highway of calculating selfishness. 

All the imposing school houses which dot the 
length and breadth of our land — public-schools, 
private-schools, boarding-schools — are constructed 
and administered in accordance with modern prin- 
ciples. In them no effort is spared to educate 
and enlighten the youthful intellect. It is trained in 
scientific information, and scientific methods, and 
scientific habits of thought. Rewards of one kind 
or another — diplomas, marks, privileges, prizes — 
are designed to operate as a stimulant for intel- 
lectual endeavor and excellence. Also consider- 
able effort is expended, to care for health and 
develop the body, in accordance with scientific 
principles. In the gymnasium and on the athletic 
field, prizes are given to stimulate excellence in 
this branch of endeavor. 

But where, in all these institutions, are scien- 
tific professors devoting an equal amount of en- 
ergy to the care and development of the feelings 
and sentiments of the spiritual nature'? Where 
are the teachers of modesty and self-denial? Of 
cheerfulness and sympathy and consideration for 
others? Of sincerity, honor, fidelity, — conscience, 
aspiration, and faith in a mysterious, all- wise des- 
tiny? Where are the prizes and marks to stimu- 
late endeavor in these ? What eloquent and inspir- 

205 



HEART AND SOUL 

ing assurance does this science give to the youth- 
ful soul that its delicate feelings are of more im- 
portance in the life of man than any excellence of 
the body, or the intellect? 

A simple, old-fashioned mother, who loved her 
children with her whole soul, might go a long 
way toward supplying this need. With no thought 
of self-interest, but with a feeling of deepest de- 
votion to them and their welfare, she was usually 
more than willing, to do all that seemed best 
for their spiritual growth, with the help of God. 
In this inspired cause, she had no thought of 
sparing herself, or them, from self-denial or self- 
sacrifice. Such an undertaking on the part of 
motherhood has generally been regarded as a 
beautiful thing, the most beautiful and sublime on 
earth — perhaps for the very reason that it calls 
for so much self-denial and is so completely 
devoid of selfishness. 

But an up-to-date mother, reasonably per- 
suaded that she is the equal and rival of her hus- 
band in worldly pursuits, could hardly be expected 
to handicap herself in any such way. In accord- 
ance with the principle of self-interest and the rule 
of reason, she can make a much more convenient 
and agreeable arrangement. The money which 
her husband provides can be used to hire nurses 
and governesses, who will take the children off 

206 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

her hands ; and at an early age they can be sent 
away to a first-class school and so relieve her of 
all bother and responsibility. After that, comes 
college and then, of course, the rest is their affair. 

While they are little, she can kiss them good- 
night and feel their little arms about her neck 
and dote on their tender affection ; and later, when 
they come back from school for their vacations, 
she can make a great fuss about them and let 
everybody admire the fond and foolish demon- 
strations of a mother's love. 

With due regard for the variations and differ- 
ences of degree which occur in specific cases, does 
this not represent, both with regard to up-to-date 
women and the training of up-to-date children, 
the general underlying tendency which is causing 
so much comment? It can hardly by any stretch 
of the imagination, be attributed to the world war, 
especially as it was already in evidence before the 
war. But, as we have tried to make plain, it can 
be traced very simply and almost directly to the 
influences and effects of the modern scientific 
movement, and the matter-of-fact habit of mind 
engendered by it, which accepts as a logical con- 
clusion, the principle of self-interest and the rule 
of reason. 

If we continue to follow our clue in other direc- 
tions, wherever the up-to-date principles, or lack 

207 



HEART AND SOUL 

of principle, have been causing comment, disturb- 
ing traditions, or appearing as a spirit of unrest, 
we find them susceptible of the same general ob- 
servations and the same general explanation. 

A distinctly modern idea, that the nations of 
the world, as well as the individuals, should for- 
ever remain at peace ; and that all differences be- 
tween them should be settled by arbitration, is a 
typical product of the modern and scientific in- 
tellect. It has been much talked of lately and 
widely endorsed by logical persons. It is per- 
fectly in accord with the principle of self-interest 
and the rule of reason. There is no rational jus- 
tification for the immense loss of life, suffering, 
destruction and devastation caused by war. The 
only trouble about the principle is that, as it deals 
with human beings, there is with this, as with other 
questions of conduct, that same unknown factor — 
the spiritual side of man's nature. One of the 
most fundamental feelings of manhood — true for 
a nation, as it is for an individual — is that it is 
right, sublimely and everlastingly right, for a man 
to fight for his wife and children, to fight for his 
home and native land, to fight for honor and to 
fight for right, as his conscience points to it. 

It was in obedience to such a feeling that count- 
less devout Christians, in the Middle Ages, fought 
and killed to uphold their religion. Their con- 

208 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

sciences did not reprove them, it inspired them — 
notwithstanding the curious fact that one of the 
doctrines of their Bible was "to resist not evil" 
and to "turn the other cheek." But the funda- 
mental feelings within them, of right and wrong, 
of faith and aspiration, were stronger than a 
creed. 

The same thing was true of one of the wisest 
and most spiritual men who ever lived — Abraham 
Lincoln. In his conscience, he felt it was right for 
slaves to be freed and for the integrity of our na- 
tion to be preserved, no matter how great the 
cost of life and suffering and devastation. 

The decisions of a board of arbitration, of cold 
intellects, basing their decisions on reasons of 
expediency, or abstract and scientific principles 
of a worldly kind, could not satisfy such feelings, 
or be permitted to override them. Lincoln would 
not, and could not, have felt justified in abandon- 
ing his cause to the opinion of European intel- 
lects, any more than the militant Christians could 
have their faith regulated by the decisions of 
Chinese and Persians. 

It is in recognition of this principle, that up to 
the present time questions which may affect the 
honor of a nation have not been considered a fit 
subject for arbitration. As long as faith and 
aspiration and their kindred feelings are in the 

209 



HEAET AND SOUL 

ascendant, conscience will tell the individual, as it 
will tell the nation, that certain things cannot 
and must not be abandoned, even at the cost of 
life. 

If through the influence of the rule of reason, 
such a conception may be overlooked by the en- 
lightened intellects of W. J. Bryan and Woodrow 
Wilson, and a host of other well-educated people, 
that fact in itself may be regarded as an addi- 
tional symptom of the extent to which modern 
scientific training has spread confusion in the sen- 
timents of the present generation. 

Countless people are to be met with every day 
whose strongest inner feelings are not strong 
enough to revolt at the thought of being passed 
upon, or decided against, by the matter-of-fact 
arbitration of reason. 

I could not love thee, dear, so well 
Loved I not honor more. 

The meaning of those inspired words, to the 
average up-to-date mind, is so lacking in common- 
sense and self-interest, as to appear simple silli- 
ness. 

The other day, I was talking to a friend about 
the bringing up of our boys and, in the course of 
our conversation, he expressed a sentiment which 
struck me as profoundly significant. He said: 
"I would rather have my boy be something fine, 

210 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

even if he got nowhere by it, than to see him re- 
ceive recognition and reward for doing something 
not so fine — and I would rather have my boy feel 
that way about it, too." 

By way of illustration, if a bully were kicking 
a little tot, my friend would rather have his boy 
fight the bully and get licked and rolled in the dust, 
than to see his boy win first prize and much ap- 
plause, for out-boxing a boy smaller than himself. 

Of course that is quite contrary to up-to-date 
principles and scientific enlightenment. There is 
no course in any of the high schools which teaches 
that sentiment, and the whole tendency of scien- 
tific training is to judge things by their tangi- 
ble results. Moreover, the rule of reason would 
decide that your boy is not justified in resorting 
to a fight, under any circumstances. He might get 
hurt, or hurt somebody else. The propriety and 
right of the bully to do his kicking, should be set- 
tled by arbitration. An impartial investigation 
might determine that the little tot had done some- 
thing to irritate the bully to such an extent that 
his display of anger and brutality was but a 
natural reaction. 

Again and again, we arrive at the same under- 
lying observation and explanation. The intellect, 
scientifically enlightened, would argue away and 
take the place of innate, inspired feelings, whose 

211 



HEAET AND SOUL 

faith has been correspondingly impaired and sha- 
ken by the breaking down of religions shelter and 
sustenance. 

The relative passing away of honor in the busi- 
ness affairs of man, and its replacement by tech- 
nical and hair-splitting calculations of legality, 
which pass for honesty; the system of graft 
and pull and private benefit, which appears to 
have permeated and fastened itself upon most of 
the political machines in most of the cities of 
our land ; the personal immorality, or unmorality, 
and practical cynicism, which are so much in evi- 
dence, even among the best educated and most 
enlightened — especially among the best educated 
and most enlightened — in public and in private, 
in their own homes and in their neighbors' homes, 
as well as in the divorce courts ; the conduct of the 
up-to-date young men, turned out by our most 
progressive schools — those of the leading fami- 
lies, no less than those in humbler walks of life — 
their increasing readiness to treat every pretty 
girl they meet as a proper field of endeavor and 
a possible instrument of pleasure ; and the corre- 
sponding attitude among thoroughly educated and 
up-to-date girls, in accepting and welcoming such 
treatment; all these characteristic symptoms of 
the modern spirit, of the so-called " unrest,' ' need 
not be referred, in any but a secondary and ac- 

212 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

cessory way, to the after effects of a war, which 
did not begin until their line of progress was al- 
ready plainly indicated. 

Instead of that, with all these symptoms in 
mind, let us sum up the logical effect upon the 
average individual of our progressive methods 
and training. 

Does he not say to himself, and should he not 
be expected to say to himself: 

"This is a wonderful age we live in, with the 
automobile, telephone, moving picture, victrola, 
and all the other inventions. Modern science is 
the greatest thing ever. And one of the biggest 
things it has done was to puncture a lot of old- 
fashioned superstitions and conventions, so that 
nowadays no sensible person need believe in them. 
Each person can run his own life in his own way, 
in accordance with the dictates of his own rea- 
son. Of course, there are the laws — but barring 
prohibition, which everybody breaks, — there's 
nothing in the others that a reasonable person 
need have trouble with." 

The obvious tendency of this is toward unmoral- 
ity, rather than immorality — what is good for 
self, in the eyes of self, without reference to re- 
ligion, tradition or convention. The fundamental 
feelings of faith and aspiration which found pro- 
tection and expression in those forms have been 

213 



HEABT AND SOUL 

obscured and disregarded in the confusion of the 
break-down. Also the practical wisdom and ac- 
cumulated experience of ages, which were crystal- 
lized in them, has gone by the board in the same 
way. Modern science has scuttled the ships which 
carried them. The material desires of each in- 
dividual, left to the judgment of the individual 
intellect, are apt to be treated with a certain 
amount of indulgence — even when the intellect has 
received the full benefit of modern scientific en- 
lightenment. Unmorality, lack of restraint, lack 
of faith and aspiration, self-indulgence and pleas- 
ure seeking in all its forms — this is the natural 
and inevitable consequence of the kind of progress 
which modern science is accomplishing, in con- 
nection with the conduct of the individual. 

Is not this a perfectly plausible explanation for 
the condition of affairs which the English author 
describes so concisely, without apparently com- 
prehending? 

"We are a nation without standards, kept in 
health rather by memories which are fading than 
by examples which are compelling . . . We 
have become a mob breaking impatiently loose 
from the discipline and ideals of our past. . . . 
Everything is sensual and ostentatious." 

In our own country, among people of my class 
and kind, I may add the testimony of first-hand 

214 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

information, that a large proportion of them, at 
the present time, have come to regard passing 
pleasure and acts of immediate self-interest as 
the chief object and motive of their lives. It is 
the pleasure of eating and drinking which con- 
cerns them and not the needs of hunger or thirst ; 
the appeal of sex solely as a source of pleasure, 
far removed from any thought or aspiration to 
create new life and care for it; the pursuit of 
money for the pleasure of gain, and the pleasure 
of out-witting others, and the gratification of van- 
ities and luxuries, far removed from essential 
needs; meaningless distractions and entertain- 
ments, which tickle the wit and nerves of the ma- 
terial senses, but by which neither the heart feel- 
ings, nor the soul feelings, nor even the deeper 
esthetic feelings, are stirred or stimulated; jazz 
music, bright colors, lively movement, jokes and 
snappy ideas, seasoned preferably with spice and 
sex — this is the state, apparently, to which modern 
methods and the rule of reason have led them. 

To judge from observation and various informa- 
tion, which is only too available, this tendency is 
steadily increasing ; while, to judge it by the light 
of the underlying causes which we have attempted 
to trace and make plain, there is logical reason to 
expect that it will keep on increasing. 

What, then, of the future? Is our civilization, 

215 



HEART AND SOUL 

like that of the Boman Empire, destined to decline 
and decay? If the present condition is indeed 
an effect of modern science, either directly or in- 
directly, how can it fail to continue? Modern 
science and the enlightened intellect were never 
in fuller ascendency than they are at the present 
moment. They are the proudest boast of our time. 
The very people who are lamenting the demorali- 
zation in our standards of living, are at the same 
time applauding the triumphant march of science. 
Could they ever be convinced that there is any 
connection between the two — that the downfall 
which they deplore was brought about by the rise 
which they applaud? 

Self-determination, as a modern principle of 
enlightened reason, was established and ex- 
pounded by no less an authority than the scien- 
tifically educated intellect of our distinguished ex- 
president — in its application to the smaller and 
weaker peoples of the earth, as well as to the large 
and strong. If self-determination is the proper 
thing for each nation, should it not be an equally 
proper thing for each individual? And, as it is 
hoped and assumed that in this advanced age each 
nation will be guided by the rule of reason, why 
may the same assumption not be applied to the 
individual? 

If all the nations in the world were to follow 

216 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

the lead of Kussia and respond to motives not 
approved by the intellect of our ex-president, he 
might conclude that a large proportion of the 
world's population was still unreasonable, with- 
out being convinced of the unsoundness of a prin- 
ciple which was, and would remain, in his mind 
the correct answer of enlightened reason. 

If the rule of the majority, in any thickly popu- 
lated community, was found to result in the elec- 
tion of demagogues and grafters and unscrupu- 
lous politicians, who are clever enough to take 
advantage of the private selfishness and preju- 
dices and indifference of the individual; and if 
you considered it a reasonable and enlightened 
principle that every citizen should have equal 
rights and the majority rule, the unfortunate re- 
sults might lead you to have a very poor opinion 
of the majority and resentment for the corrupt 
politicians, without convincing you 'of the un- 
soundness of the enlightened principle. 

If the system of compulsory education — of 
enforced attendance at the high school — of all 
manner of children from the humbler walks of life 
were found to result in filling their simple heads 
with extravagant notions and worldly ambitions 
for which nature did not intend them, which breed 
discontent with the kind of work for which they 
are suited, which separate them from their par- 

217 



HEART AND SOUL 

ents and their congenial inheritance, and impel 
them in mistaken paths to learn bitterness and 
revolt — if this were found to be the tendency in 
a large percentage of cases; and if yonr reason 
considered that all individuals are entitled to 
equal opportunity, and that the education of the 
masses is an enlightened modern principle, the 
tangible results, however unfortunate they might 
apear, would not convince you of the unsound- 
ness of the principle. 

As a matter of fact, very few people may be 
convinced of anything which is contrary to their 
liking, or in opposition to their preconceived no- 
tions. An open mind may be helped to form an 
opinion, and people may be confirmed and enlight- 
ened by ideas which are congenial to their way of 
thinking, but that is as much as may reasonably 
be expected. 

This phase of the subject has not been my con- 
cern. I am merely trying to find expression for 
what seems to me the truth, as I feel it and see it. 

And the truth is, obviously, that the aim and 
effort of modern science has been to build up 
rather than to tear down. It has been striving, 
with all the means at its command, to discover 
the true facts and the true principles with regard 
to all things and to utilize them for the benefit of 
mankind. 

218 



SCIENCE AND THE INTELLECT 

It may be its attention has been chiefly occu- 
pied with the material things of life, and the ma- 
terial principles which apply to them, but modern 
progress, in many ways is a splendid thing. As 
applied to the life of the individual, it is a splen- 
did thing to improve the health and strength and 
condition of the human body. And as for the 
intellect, anything that science has done or could 
do to develop it to the highest degree, must be 
regarded as a step in the right direction. The 
body and the mind are essential parts of a human 
being and, as we have had occasion to observe, 
it is a fundamental aspiration of man to make 
them always better. 

If science, in investigating the true facts of 
existence, has been led to conclude that many old- 
time traditions and beliefs were largely composed 
of imagination and ignorance, and the indirect 
results of such a conclusion have proved unset- 
tling and disconcerting, should blame be attached 
to any effort which seeks only the truth! 

The present condition, however unfortunate it 
may appear to us who are experiencing it, may 
be no more than a passing phase of development. 
The dawn of better days and finer standards, may 
lie just ahead of us, and when they come, it may 
be found that the enlightenment of the intellect 

219 



HEAET AND SOUL 

by modern science was a necessary step in prepa- 
ration for them. 

I, for one, am by no means without hope. Upon 
what grounds that hope is founded remains to be 
considered carefully. 



220 



VII 



HOPE 



IF we admit, or assume, that the ideals and 
moral standards of our civilization are on the 
decline — that materialism, selfishness, pleasure- 
seeking and dissipation of various kinds, are tend- 
ing to supplant the finer feelings; and that this 
movement has been gaining ground rapidly in re- 
cent years — the question that naturally arises is: 
Where will it lead to! Who, or what, is going to 
stop it? 

A distinguished gentleman has lately been de- 
livering a lecture in various nearby cities on ' ' The 
Break-down of Civilization," and from the brief 
reports I have seen of it, he is thoroughly con- 
vinced that things are going from bad to worse. 
I quoted a while ago from an English author, 
whose summing up is to the same effect. News- 
paper editorials and magazine articles and the 
private conversation of various people, are con- 
stantly expressing similar views, and I have just 
come upon the expressed opinion of the eminent 

221 



HEART AND SOUL 

writer and thinker, H. G. Wells, that unless some- 
thing is done very soon, civilization is facing "the 
greatest wreckage yet known in world history. ,, 

As the present ' ' demoralization ' ' was well un- 
der way before the World War began, that may 
be referred to, at most, as an accelerating influ- 
ence, but not as the underlying cause. It is more 
intelligent, and more to the point, to recognize 
frankly that among a large and increasing pro- 
portion of our people there has been a crumbling 
away of religious belief. As a result of that, the 
fundamental feelings of the soul — faith, con- 
science, aspiration — are being neglected and 
starved. 

So much ought to be fairly obvious to any one 
who is willing to observe and enquire. 

When we go one step deeper and look for the 
cause why religious belief has been crumbling 
down, there is more room for confusion of ideas 
and differences of opinion. Many people blame 
the churches and the ministers and the lack of 
proper training of the children by their parents. 
Others blame the automobile and sports and re- 
creations which are being indulged in on Sunday, 
through the laxity and insufficiency of the law- 
makers. Still others attribute it largely to the 
pernicious influence of the alien population. 
Finally, there are some who blame the vain, selfish 

222 



HOPE 

spirit of the age, without bothering their heads 
to decide where that came from (except to infer 
a general relationship to the devil.) 

These opinions are opposed by those who re- 
gard the decline of religion as a source of satis- 
faction. In their eyes, it is an antiquated, narrow- 
minded influence which has been allowed to inter- 
fere too long with modern progress. The cause 
of its decline, as they see it, is a perfectly natural 
one — due to the fact that it has long since out- 
lived its usefulness, and in the present stage of 
civilization, people are much better off without it. 
They want Sunday to be, not a holy day, but a 
holiday, unhampered by Blue Laws or religious 
cant of any kind. 

As for the so-called demoralization of the pres- 
ent day, this latter class are inclined to laugh at 
the croakers who look at things that way. Con- 
ventions and styles are always changing and the 
modern ones are more practical and sensible than 
the old ones. New ways of doing things have al- 
ways appeared more or less shocking, until people 
got used to them. That is the law of progress. 
The present age is an age of progress and on the 
whole the world is more progressive and more en- 
lightened than it has ever been before. 

These are the two prevailing currents of opin- 
ion, clashing against each other, losing patience 

223 



HEABT AND SOUL 

with each other, and attempting to get the best of 
each other by means of agitation and organiza- 
tion, movements and anti-movements, of one kind 
and another, including legislative enactments. 

It is fairly safe to assume that no effort of the 
religious sects can stay the march of the modern 
movement. It is possible to conceive that, through 
the forces of reaction, certain Blue Laws may be 
passed again and that in certain communities the 
religious observance of Sunday may be made ob- 
ligatory. Such things, at most, would be only of 
superficial consequence. They cannot stop the 
spread of scientific enlightenment. And scientific 
enlightenment cannot be made to believe in tenets 
which are contrary to facts and conclusions, as it 
has been able to demonstrate them. 

On the other hand, it seems equally safe to 
assume that modern science and the rule of rea- 
son, if left to themselves, cannot be expected to 
nourish and encourage spiritual feelings. Their 
tendency, as has been quite plainly indicated, is 
in the opposite direction — to leave them out in the 
cold. 

Another conclusion, which is beginning to dawn 
on many people — even those scientifically en- 
lightened — and which is likely to be more and more 
generally recognized, is that the life of man with- 
out the inspiration of a faith of some sort, and 

224 



HOPE 

the other inner feelings which attach to it, rapidly 
tends to materialism, selfishness, demoralization, 
corruption and decay. 

That, in brief, is the situation which confronts 
us all collectively, and upon the solution of which 
the future of our civilization, to a large extent, 
undoubtedly depends. 

Suggestions of one kind or another, tending 
toward an alleged solution, will presumably keep 
making their appearance at intervals and a per- 
fectly reasonable question is whether a sufficiently 
inspiring and sufficiently compelling solution will 
emerge in time to prevent the threatened chaos. 

For the moment, let us be content to defer con- 
sideration of the possible solutions and turn our 
attention to the predicament which, in the mean- 
time, confronts the average individual. 

Let us suppose that such an individual, what- 
ever may be the status of his religious belief, or 
unbelief, becomes convinced in his own mind that 
the selfishness and immorality and lack of senti- 
ment, which seem to be spreading in all classes, 
is a bad thing. Suppose he is willing to admit, 
after due consideration, that our diagnosis and 
explanation of what is taking place is relatively 
correct. As most minds of the present day have 
a practical turn, the thing which interests him 
most, the thing he asks at once and really wants 

225 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

to know is what you have to propose as a remedy. 
How are you going to make people less selfish and 
more considerate of others'? Less mercenary and 
more honorable? Less immoral, or unmoral, and 
more virtuous? 

That is the main thing which counts, from a 
practical, personal point-of-view : "How am I to 
benefit by your conclusions and how are you go- 
ing to make others benefit by them? Unless you 
have something tangible and useful to offer, your 
observations, though curious and instructive, are 
not of much account. ,, 

Let us try, therefore, to reply, in this same 
spirit, and hazard some suggestions which may 
prove helpful to those who want help. 

In the first place, let us call attention to the 
fact that after an individual has reached maturity, 
and his character and habits are formed, it is 
extremely difficult to change them to any great 
extent. The motives and point-of-view which de- 
termine most of his acts have become, so to speak, 
a part of his second nature. This second nature 
is something of slow growth and development. 
That is the obvious meaning of the old adage — 
"As the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." To 
change the inclination of a full-grown tree, re- 
quires a great deal of determination. 

In the case of human character, it may occa- 

226 



HOPE 

sionally be done, through a great inspiration of 
the heart, or the soul. For a deep, ennobling love, 
or a new-born, exalted faith, the spirit and will 
are capable of almost any transformation. But 
usually good intentions, whose origin is confined 
to the reason and which are at variance with an 
established inclination, don't persist very long. 

The natural inference and expectation should 
be, therefore, that most people of mature years, 
however much they might approve of other peo- 
ple 's mending their ways, or even of mending their 
own, will be found to limit their effort principally 
to talk. 

In the absence of a great inspiration, the chief 
influence which keeps acting on them is the ex- 
ample and standards of their associates — the pre- 
vailing style and custom. Most people are very 
susceptible to this — women especially. For the 
sake of being in the fashion — or for the sake of 
not being considered out-of-date — many a nice 
woman may be led to do things which her instincts 
tell her are not nice at all. 

To a slightly less degree, the same thing may be 
said of men. 

But as the people who set new styles and estab- 
lish now customs, in a selfish, materialistic age, 
are not apt to be guided by any great reverence 
for the finer traditional feelings, there is little 

227 



HEART AND SOUL 

help to be looked for, from this kind of influence. 
The immediate tendency is all in the opposite 
direction. A woman's own reason might tell her 
that it is more becoming to pencil her eye-brows 
and paint her lips and face and yet, if left to her- 
self, an inherited instinct might keep her from do- 
ing so. But as soon as she finds that has become 
the fashion, she hesitates no longer. Women of 
innate modesty are to be seen, exposing their legs 
and bodies in public, drinking, smoking, gambling 
and dancing in a sensual manner with sensual men 
— things which they would revolt at doing, if it 
were not for the style. It matters not that the 
people who set the style were devoid of modesty 
and prompted solely by material considerations of 
self-indulgence and immorality. 

Under such conditions, how can people who are 
headed in this direction be prevailed upon by any 
amount of advice, however well-founded and help- 
ful it might be? They may feel that they would 
like to see others doing differently, but until 
that takes place, their brains will not give them 
sufficient inspiration, or sufficient determination, 
to make a lone fight. 

There may be exceptions, of course, and in time 
these exceptions may become fairly numerous ; but 
as long as the main issue lies between a return to 
old-fashioned religious beliefs on the one hand, 

228 



HOPE 

and the dictates of enlightened self-interest on 
the other, individuals who can have no real en- 
thusiasm for either, will be left to mark time or 
drift, more or less reluctantly, with the current. 

This is what may be reasonably expected to 
happen for some time to come, unless a great and 
fateful thing comes to pass, which will alter the 
entire course of modern civilization. As this great 
and fateful thing is purely a matter of conjecture, 
and may have no bearing on the conduct of peo- 
ple now living, we will defer the discussion of it 
until after we have finished with more immediate 
and practical considerations. 

There appears to be one way, at least, in which 
a clear understanding of the moral situation may 
result in practical benefit. The little children of 
the present day may still be bent and guided, 
their second natures may yet be helped to grow 
and their characters to form, in any desired direc- 
tion. If we feel it is too late to bother over much 
about trying to change ourselves, or the people 
about us, that feeling does not apply to our chil- 
dren. 

That is a hopeful and helpful thought, and 
thoroughly practical. If all the mothers and 
fathers of the present generation wanted their 
children to be better and finer than the demoral- 
ized people so much in evidence; and if they set 

229 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

about it in the right way, all might yet be well 
for the future. And as a matter of fact, nearly 
all parents do want their children to be better and 
finer. All that they ask is to be shown the right 
way and they are ready, or think they are ready, 
to follow it. This is not only a question of good 
intentions, prompted by reason, — it also involves, 
as we have seen, the most fundamental feelings 
of the heart and soul. 

It is a wonderful and beautiful thing — the depth 
and strength of this feeling of parental love, es- 
pecially the mother's. Nothing seems able to 
kill it, or corrupt it, in the vast majority of cases. 
The exceptions are infinitesimal. Even in those 
communities, and classes, and individuals where 
materialism and self-indulgence have become most 
pronounced, it is extremely rare to find a mother 
who does not love her child; who does not hope 
and strive, in accordance with her lights, for its 
welfare; who is not willing, if occasion demands, 
to make a real sacrifice for its sake. 

Many mothers have not over-much deep feel- 
ing of any other kind; many mothers have little 
understanding of the problems of life which con- 
front themselves, let alone those which confront 
their husbands, or their children; very few 
mothers have more than a confused idea of the in- 
fluences at work in forming character, in de- 

230 



HOPE 

veloping ideals and generous- impulses, on the 
one hand; or self-interest, self-indulgence, and 
the rule of reason, on the other. 

Hardly anything could be of more help to the 
future of our race than a clear and settled reali- 
zation on the part of every mother of one simple 
truth, which so many of our observations, in the 
preceding pages, have tended to bring out. The 
body of your child and the brain of your child are 
beautiful things, worthy of careful attention; but 
they are not nearly so beautiful, or so deeply sig- 
nificant, as the heart of your child, or the soul of 
your child. A strong and healthy body and a 
highly educated intellect do not make a fine char- 
acter; they may belong, just as well, to a mean 
and selfish man, or an immoral woman, — a crook, 
or a profligate. A warm heart and a sensitive, 
dominant soul, do make a fine character, and they 
cannot possibly result in meanness and immoral- 
ity. Those sides of your child's nature are en- 
titled to the most loving care, the most constant 
attention, it is humanely possible to give them. 

In the average family of to-day, how much 
thought, or time, is devoted to the observance of 
this essential principle? How many mothers are 
consistently striving to watch over every tender 
requirement of the heart feelings and soul feel- 
ings of their children? 

231 



HEABT AND SOUL 

The bodies are well enough cared for, as a 
matter of course. The modern rules of hygiene 
and the advice of doctors may be relied on for 
that. The same thing is true as regards the edu- 
cation of the intellect. Kindergartens, primaries, 
high schools, boarding schools, colleges, — relieve 
parents of all anxiety on that score. These two 
sides of a growing life, the physical and the men- 
tal, are so well taken care of, more or less im- 
personally, by the modern scientific system, that 
even if the mother neglects them entirely, they 
still receive adequate attention. 

Is this equally true of the heart and the soul, 
the development of character, so vitally important 
in the life and worth of every human being? If, in 
spite of her love for her child, these considera- 
tions are neglected by the mother, through lack 
of understanding, or the demands of her own self- 
interest, is the remedy for this neglect also to be 
found in the modern system? Unfortunately not. 
And right there is the source of a great measure 
of the present demoralization. If the truth of this 
could only be brought home to every mother, would 
not many a loving mother, for the sake of her 
child, be willing to sacrifice some of her own self- 
ishness? If not, then indeed there is little hope 
left for the future of our civilization. But the 
beauty and wonder and endurance of that God- 

232 



HOPE 

given mother's love, in all ages and in all climes, 
ought to convince us that the only difficulty lies in 
clearing away from the head of the up-to-date wo- 
man the confusion of ideas, the materialistic the- 
ories of sexless intellects, and the force of perni- 
cious example, which have been brought to bear on 
her self-interest, and obscured, for the time being, 
her intuitive and eternally right understanding. 



233 



VIII 

HEAKT AND SOUL 

AS the heart of a child naturally begins de- 
veloping before the sonl feelings, let us talk 
about that first. And when we speak about the 
" heart,' ' it is, of course, understood that we are 
not referring to the physical organ which pumps 
blood, but to that part of human nature which 
responds to affection and sympathy. 

The heart of a child — what a mysterious, won- 
derful, sensitive, beautiful thing it is ! How much 
it gives and how much it is capable of receiving! 
And the one thing it wants most — the one it craves 
and hungers for, as an essential of its nourish- 
ment and growth — is love, tender, devoted, unfail- 
ing love. From the earliest babyhood, straight on 
to the years of maturity, and still on, that is the 
greatest need of the human heart for its full and 
happy growth. 

In early childhood, where is it to get that tender, 
devoted love, if not from its mother? Will it get 
it from a well-paid nurse or governess, whether 

234 



HEAET AND SOUL 

Swede or Irish, French or English! In the vast 
majority of cases, the nurse or governess hasn't it 
to give. Love is something which can't be bought 
with money. Many a governess is a discontented 
person, who thinks she is worthy of better things. 
Many a nnrse is thick-skinned and bad-tempered. 
A large proportion of both have much more ten- 
der feeling for their wages and their selfish in- 
terests, than they have for the child entrusted to 
their care. Should anything different be ex- 
pected! It is not their child. In a few months, 
or a few years, it will pass out entirely from their 
existence. 

Plenty of people can be hired to take care of 
your child's body and its physical needs — nurses, 
governesses, doctors; plenty of people can look 
after the education of its intellect; nurses, teach- 
ers, tutors, professors — but no one can be em- 
ployed to take your place in feeding it devoted 
love, because that love is God-given and God has 
not given it to the others, but has given it to you. 

The mother who turns over the heart life of 
her child to the keeping of a paid employee is 
guilty of a vital neglect. If later on, it should 
happen that the child proves lacking in affection, 
sympathy, consideration for others, and fails to 
fulfill the mother's fond aspirations, in that re- 
spect, she has herself to blame, first of all. 

235 



HEABT AND SOUL 

If this simple truth could he brought home to 
every modern mother, it might prove very help- 
ful to the next generation. 

It is not difficult to suggest how the affections 
find nourishment and development. And remem- 
ber we are not yet considering the moral feelings, 
but only the heart. 

Love begets love; love is largely mutual; love 
thrives on the companionship of the loved ones. 

The tenderness, sympathy, devotion of a 
mother, very surely and quickly open out the heart 
feelings of her child and meet with warm response. 
The more constant the companionship, the more 
constant the outpouring of affection on both sides, 
the more that side of the child nature grows. 

And the more it • grows, — with mother watch- 
ing over it, helping and guiding, setting the ex- 
ample — the more it has to give to other people 
and things. It will love a doll, a kitten, a puppy 
dog, and show them the same sort of tender atten- 
tion that it receives from mother. It will feel 
sorry for a poor little bird with a broken wing; 
it will feel sorry for father, when he comes home 
tired with a headache ; it will put its arms about 
father's neck and want to kiss the headache away. 

As it grows older, it should be allowed to feel, 
and made to feel, that mother's love and father's 
love will never desert it — that that love may be 

236 



HEART AND SOUL 

counted on, as a mainstay of life, through thick 
and thin, fair weather and foul, to the very end. 
This should not be left as a matter of uncertainty, 
or wonder, or doubt. No mother should ever say 
to a child, or allow it to imagine, that if it should 
be naughty or bad, or do this, that or the other, 
mother would cease to love it, or father would 
cease to love it. Such an idea is poisonous to the 
true feeling and conception of love, which should 
be cherished in every child by every mother. 
Mother should take pains to make the child feel, — 
and she should take pains to make father do so, 
too, — that no matter what it does, their love for 
it will never weaken or waver. It is not enough 
to assume that this will be taken for granted — 
it should be confided to the child, at opportune 
moments, as the most sacred of secrets, the holiest 
of promises. And no time is more opportune for 
the telling of it — no time means more or counts 
more — than one of those moments when the child 
has done wrong and is troubled in its conscience, 
and feels ashamed and forsaken. That is a splen- 
did occasion, for a mother's love and a father's 
love to prove themselves, by making doubly plain 
that although they, too, may feel ashamed, the 
strength and warmth of their love is undimin- 
ished. 

With nourishment and care of this kind the 

237 



HEABT AND SOUL 

heart nature of a child is almost sure to grow and 
thrive. Its love will feel the influence of the big 
love it receives and want to respond in kind. In 
due time, it may say to itself, and confide as a 
holy secret to mother, that its feeling for her 
and father will never change, either, no matter 
what happens, to the end of time. 

As regards consideration for others, with the 
constant help and guidance and example of a 
devoted mother, this can be made to grow and 
thrive, too, until it becomes a beautiful and sen- 
sitive part of second nature. 

With such feelings nourished and cherished in 
this way, there is ground for hope that one of a 
parent's sweetest and most fundamental aspira- 
tions, in regard to the off-spring, will not be dis- 
appointed. The heart will be in the right place. 

Now, on the other hand, it is only too easy to 
see what may happen and what does frequently 
happen, if this sacred responsibility of a mother 
is neglected. 

Suppose the child is left, for the greater part of 
the time, day in and day out, to the companion- 
ship and care of a hired substitute, a nurse or 
governess? In the first place, the substitute is 
very apt to have no love at all, or what little it 
has, may be a very thin and shoddy variety. Fre- 
quently a nurse is unsympathetic, irritable, and 

238 



HEAET AND SOUL 

selfish. That does not provide either good nour- 
ishment, or good example, for the tender heart 
feelings. 

When a child does wrong, the nurse scolds it and 
displays an ill-feeling which is the very contrary 
of tenderness and affection. That is bad enough, 
but it is not half so bad as the fact that this same 
repellent treatment is very often accorded a child 
when it has not done wrong at all, but has merely 
obeyed some spontaneous and beautiful impulse 
of its little nature, which an irritable nurse does 
not bother to understand. The way that a nurse 
wishes a child to go is not usually prompted by 
any loving consideration for the heart feelings of 
the child, but a very selfish consideration for the 
convenience and prejudices of the nurse. 

I have known many cases where the sensitive 
feelings of a little boy or girl have been turned 
to violent dislike by a nurse, or a governess. For 
days and weeks and months they have been 
obliged to live in the constant companionship and 
under the constant influence of an antipathy which 
sours and freezes their affections. I have 
known cases where a nurse, in order to achieve 
her own ends and relieve herself of trouble, has 
told a child to lie quietly in bed, when the light 
goes out, or a big and horrible bugaboo will 
creep out of the darkness and spring upon it. 

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HEAET AND SOUL 

In such cases, the nurse takes good care to keep 
the child from giving a hint of this to mother 
or father, under pain of equally terrifying 
consequences. I have friends to-day, grown 
up men and women, who cannot go into a dark 
room, anywhere, without a shiver and shudder of 
nameless dread, which began with that same black 
bugaboo. 

I have known countless cases, where a nurse 
has said to a child, who has done something wrong 
or annoying: "I don't love you any more. I 
don't like you now at all." And I have known 
countless cases where mothers, themselves, have 
said and acted the same thing. And the effect of 
that is to belittle and corrupt in the child's heart 
a bigger and deeper conception of love, as a loyal 
and steadfast thing, with no string attached to it. 
If a nurse, or a mother, can withdraw her love, 
for a slight cause, then a child when it grows 
up can expect to do the same ; a wife can withdraw 
her love from her husband, if he does something 
to displease her ; a husband from his wife ; a son 
and a daughter from their parents ; a sister from 
her brother. How sad that seems, at first, and 
how it hurts ! But little by little, as one sees and 
learns, and as the twig is bent — do not many up- 
to-date young people adapt themselves very com- 
fortably to that belittled conception of love? Do 

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HEART AND SOUL 

not the divorce courts and remarriages and scat- 
tered children and the talk and acts of emanci- 
pated women give ample evidence of it? 

How glibly a certain kind of woman talks about 
sons and daughters lacking affection, and being 
so selfish, and so inconsiderate of others! How 
many of those women have taken the trouble to 
consider whether the heart feelings of those sons 
and daughters were nourished and cherished and 
guided, by the devotion of a loving mother? 

This is a woefully inadequate sketch of one of 
the most important elements of life, one of the 
most vital factors in the formation of human char- 
acter, about which volumes might be written. It 
may be enough, however, to suggest reflection and 
a better understanding on the part of some 
mothers, well-intentioned, but confused by pro- 
gressive theories, who are really in need of help. 

We may now move on to the moral and spir- 
itual feelings. 

The most casual observer has no difficulty in 
noting the fact that most children to-day are lack- 
ing in discipline, obedience, respect, consideration 
for others, and many other qualities, which have 
been regarded as essential to a well-bred person. 
There has been no end of talk about it lately, as 
we know. 

As far as I have been able to learn, there is a 

241 



HEABT AND SOUL 

fairly general concensus of opinion that this is 
due to a lack of the proper kind of early train- 
ing in the home. As often as this question has 
come up in my presence, it has always been an- 
swered readily and confidently to this same effect, 
and the answer has met with unanimous approval 
of men and women alike. 

But I have never heard one single woman at- 
tempt to explain how it is that, with all the eman- 
cipation, and higher education, and scientific 
enlightenment, which has been placed at her dis- 
posal, modern mothers should fail to give their 
children a better training than ever, instead of 
a worse. Is it good for the children? No, of 
course not, they admit. Don't modern mothers 
love their children ? How absurd ! Every mother 
loves her children — more than a man can under- 
stand. Then why is it modern children don't re- 
ceive proper training by their modern mothers? 
Oh, well, a good many women, nowadays, have so 
many other things to do, they haven't the time. 
Are these other things more important than the 
welfare of their children? Not that — nothing 
could be more important. Then, why — ? 

If anybody gets that far with the average mod- 
ern woman, he has done very well. She usually 
shrugs her shoulders, tells you not to be silly and 
parries with some feeling remarks about hus- 

242 



HEABT AND SOUL 

bands and fathers. What do they do! And how 
do they do it? And who's really to blame? 

If you ask a modern man the same question, 
and no women are present, he may express him- 
self, confidentially, that most women, nowadays, 
are so fed up on civic committees, or recreation 
centers — bridge parties or pink teas — uplift move- 
ments or school boards — golf, tennis, automobil- 
ing — that they don't know what's going on in 
their own homes. They have advanced ideas about 
everything — principally themselves. When it 
comes to the children, their advanced ideas result, 
pretty much, in letting them get along without 
any home training at all. 

The women, when left to themselves, usually 
have little trouble in convincing themselves that 
if men had the proper kind of love for their wives 
and showed them the consideration and devotion 
which every feminine heart craves and is entitled 
to, there would be no trouble at all about the 
home. Every true woman would be found to re- 
spond magnificently. In nearly every case, the 
fault begins with the man — in his neglect and self- 
ishness — and then man-fashion, he turns around 
and tries to lay it at the door of the woman. And 
so forth and so on. 

But again, no one attempts to suggest, or ex- 
plain, why it is that the modern husband, who is 

243 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

better educated and more enlightened than hus- 
bands ever were before, should be behaving so 
badly. It is enough to agree and expatiate on the 
fact, without countless examples, that that is how 
it is. 

And the average mother, to-day, will be found 
expressing the fervent hope that her son will not 
grow up to be as self-centered and neglectful of 
his wife, as most husbands are. 

The effect of such talk, naturally, is to becloud 
the point at issue and confuse the mind. The point 
is that even in the minds of the women, the un- 
seemly behavior of young people of both sexes 
is due to a lack of proper training in childhood. 
No enlightened woman believes, or claims, that two 
wrongs make a right. She does not believe that 
a man could, or should, take the place of a mother 
in dealing with children. She does not believe 
that he should become soft and effeminate, for the 
tender training of infants, but on the contrary, 
should be energetic and manly, for the battle of 
success. 

As far as the children are concerned, she can- 
not but admit that the immediate responsibility 
has nowhere else to rest but in her. If she chooses 
to pass it over to a nurse or governess, that is 
her affair. It is for her to engage or discharge 
the nurse and governess as she sees fit. And it 

244 



HEAET AND SOUL 

is rare indeed to find a mother anywhere who 
would think of allowing any interference with 
what she considers her fundamental right. 

If she neglects her responsibility, or fails in it, 
and the results are more or less disastrous, it is 
a very feminine excuse, to argue that she has a 
selfish and inconsiderate husband. The care of 
the children was her affair, not his ; both herself 
and nature agree upon insisting that this should 
be so. 

In this connection, therefore, it is to the mothers, 
principally, that we should address ourselves. 
At some other time, we may, if we choose, enter 
upon a discussion of that complex and much con- 
fused question of husband and wife in their rela- 
tion to each other. 

Under present-day conditions, curiously enough, 
the first thing it seems necessary to ask a mother 
is this : 

Did you ever stop to reflect upon the tremen- 
dous and wonderful importance which may attach 
to the bringing up of one single child? Even if 
your heart feelings are rather anemic and your 
soul-feelings have become so muddled and con- 
fused by practical considerations that you no 
longer get any real message or inspiration from 
those two divine sources, yet you still have left 
a modern and enlightened brain. Even that is 

245 



HEABT AND SOUL 

enough to make you almost dizzy at the thought 
of this thing, if you will pause long enough to 
give it careful attention. 

A modern battleship, or an airplane, or an 
automobile, is a vastly complicated and efficient 
piece of machinery. If you, yourself, left to your 
own resources, had the ability to turn out a com- 
plete battleship of the most improved design, you 
would doubtless consider that you had achieved 
something to be immensely proud of. But the 
greatest battleship on earth is not one-hundredth 
part as complicated and efficient a piece of ma- 
chinery as your little son. And one of a dozen 
different faculties with which your son is equip- 
ped — the power of memory, for instance — is in- 
finitely more intricate and more wonderful than 
anything and everything about a battleship put 
together. 

You might have an ambition to paint a beauti- 
ful picture, or compose beautiful music, or write 
beautiful poetry, or do something else with your 
life which you deem to be useful or beneficial to 
your fellow men. But by cherishing such ambi- 
tions in your son and transmitting to him all that 
is best in your own self, this same result may be 
obtained for the use and benefit of your fellow 
men. And in addition to that, you will have given 
to the world a wonderful human being, who may 

246 



HEABT AND SOUL 

be able to achieve many bigger and better things 
than you could hope to do. More than that, your 
son may be able to transmit the ambitions and 
feelings which you have given him, to his children 
and their children, until your one achievement in 
making a splendid son, may expand and multiply 
into a wonderful lot of men and women, each and 
every one of whom may achieve more useful and 
beautiful things for the benefit of mankind than 
you could hope to do. All this may readily come 
about, if you apply yourself unsparingly to the 
unique and glorious task of making your son the 
right kind of man. 

This is only one part of the wonder. If you are 
willing to devote your heart and soul to this one 
task, another recompense is in store for you — a 
multitude of sublime recompenses. Each and 
every fine and beautiful thing your son does, as 
long as you live, will fill you with deeper glad- 
ness, more intense joy, than anything you your- 
self could possibly accomplish, through your own 
efforts. That is the crowning miracle of a moth- 
er's love and every mother who loves her own 
with all her heart, knows that it is eternally true. 
Just to look at your son and feel that he is fine 
and right and worthy of all the love you have 
lavished on him, is to taste an exquisite content- 

247 



HEABT AND SOUL 

ment, to which no other kind of earthly pleasure 
is comparable. 

And this same feeling of contentment will be 
waiting to steal into your heart upon the coming 
of your son's children — each and every one. Your 
mother's love will find a renewal of its glory in 
your grandchildren. For they, too, have in them 
the same mysterious spirit of you which you cher- 
ished in your son. And so, as you sit back, in 
old age, in brooding contentment over the young 
lives, so full of possibilities, you may reflect, in 
the sweetest way imaginable, that it is going on 
indefinitely, this essence of you and yours, on 
and on, to the end of time, fulfilling on earth the 
unfathomed but divine purpose of the all-wise 
Creator. 

People whose interest in life is centered in self- 
indulgence and material pleasure, may regard 
with dread the approach of old age; but not so 
a mother, whose deepest feelings have gone unre- 
servedly to her children. To her it will come 
smiling, with the radiance of that most beautiful 
of all periods — a golden Indian summer. 

Take it all in all — for the reasons we have sug- 
gested and many others — the bringing up and 
giving to the world of a fine human being, the 
endeavor to make that human being as nearly 
right as possible, is the most important, the most 

248 



HEAET AND SOUL 

profoundly significant undertaking that exists on 
earth. The all- wise Creator has entrusted that 
work, in a most beautiful and soul-stirring way, 
to mother love, the deepest and strongest feeling 
of which humanity is capable. 

If a mere man will devote the greatest part of 
his energies, day in and day out, year in and 
year out, to making pictures, or making stoves, 
or making money, to support the family, — how 
can a mother be unwilling to devote as much of 
her energy to this sacred task, which she knows 
is of more vital consequence than any material 
thing? 

Would that some one might be found to carry 
this message to every mother in the land — some 
one whose voice is so tender and true and ap- 
pealing, that it might find its way straight to the 
core of their hearts and souls — clearing up the 
tangle of confused notions which the sexless 
reason and self-interest of progressive intellects 
have been making! 

In the meanwhile, we must be content to see 
things as they are and pin our faith to the belief 
that, as the baleful effects of the current misun- 
derstanding become more and more apparent, the 
mother love, of its own accord, will become suffi- 
ciently alarmed, to throw aside its lethargy and 

249 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

seek to make amends by devoting itself more con- 
sistently to the welfare of its own. 

Let ns assume, therefore, that a mother of the 
present day, is deeply concerned in the moral and 
spiritual feelings of her children — that she wants 
them to have fine sentiments and fine characters 
— and that she is anxious to do anything within 
her power to bring this result about. What is 
she to do? What method is she to follow? In 
this age of enlightenment, with all sorts of the- 
ories in the air, how is she to know the proper 
way of forming a fine character? As a matter 
of fact, in many cases, it is just because her ideas 
on this subject have become so confused, that 
many a modern mother has been led to side-step 
the responsibility and let things drift along in 
the easiest way, after the example of those about 
her. 

One of the first questions that is sure to con- 
front her is the question of discipline and obedi- 
ence. On the one hand, is the traditional idea of 
the past — ''Spare the rod and spoil the child.' ' 
She is familiar with this and there is nearly al- 
ways someone near her who advocates it firmly — 
very possibly her own husband. On the other 
hand, she has read and heard and seen a lot which 
is directly opposed to that. Children should not 
be controlled by fear, like animals. There is 

250 



HEAET AND SOUL 

something mean and ugly and revolting in the 
very idea. It is better to be loved than feared 
— better for the mother and better for the child. 
Between these two contradictory principles, 
even if she has the best intentions in the world, 
what is she to do ? Is it to be wondered at, if many 
a modern mother, in this predicament, vacillates 
between the two? She doesn't like to punish the 
child and most of the time she avoids doing it; 
but now and then, when things have gone too far, 
or she is tired and irritable, she makes up for 
it by losing her temper and going to extremes. 
And the effect of this kind of treatment on the 
forming of a child's character is about as bad as 
could be. It doesn't produce discipline and it 
doesn't produce obedience; and it doesn't lead 
the way to any moral conception or principle. 
What it does inculcate in the child spirit very 
quickly is a feeling that the attitude of mother 
is largely a matter of mood, a very uncertain and 
variable quantity, which for the time being has 
to be put up with. And as the child cares more 
for mother, presumably, than anybody else in the 
world, it is no more than natural for it to apply 
this same point-of-view to other people with 
whom it comes into contact. There may be a cer- 
tain amount of precocious wisdom in this, but it 
does not help the growth of moral feeling. And 

251 



HEART AND SOUL 

so it happens, in many cases, that at the very 
start, the twig is given a bend in the wrong di- 
rection. 

No mother really wants to spoil her child. She 
may say, with a loving and enigmatical smile, that 
she prefers to "spoil" it; but that is only her 
way of saying that she knows better than some 
stern and misguided people what is best for its 
tender wants. If she thought for a moment she 
was really spoiling the child's character, she 
would stop smiling at once and become very much 
exercised. 

As we have started with this question of disci- 
pline, let us not leave it until we have followed 
it out to the full limit of our reflections. 

If the choice necessarily resolved itself into 
one or the other of these two principles — strict 
obedience, rigidly enforced by punishment; or a 
vacillating policy of petting and scolding, leading 
to moral confusion — there could be little hesita- 
tion in deciding which would be apt to give better 
results in the formation of character. The old 
way, if somewhat crude and summary, has proved 
itself capable of producing discipline and respect 
for authority, a womanly woman and a manly 
man. The other way has not given much evi- 
dence of producing anything nearly so worthy or 
admirable. 

252 



HEAET AND SOUL X 

But, as a matter of fact, the choice need not be, 
and should not be, limited to these two principles 
at all. There is another method of arriving at the 
formation of character which is essentially dif- 
ferent from either. 

The chief fault of the old method of giving the 
child a whipping, if it disobeys, is by no means 
confined to a lessening of a child's love for the 
mother, who whips it. This is one consideration 
which is given great weight by many women, at 
present. It would in itself be a real hurt to 
the mother and a real hurt to the child. But there 
are other considerations. Sometimes the whip- 
ping may not be deserved — it may be occasioned 
by a loss of temper, or a misunderstanding — and 
in such cases it is apt to leave a feeling of re- 
sentment and injustice. This is in addition to 
the feeling of fear, which corporal punishment is 
apt to produce. Quite irrespective of the harm 
to love, it introduces a false motive into the for- 
mation of character. The little sprouts of con- 
science may be overshadowed by this weed of 
fear. The fear of a whip, in a hand which may 
be strong but not necessarily just, very naturally 
brings into play the instinct of self-defence, to 
prompt and justify all manner of concealment, de- 
ception, cunning, lying. Those are a lot more 

253 



HEART AND SOUL 

weeds which may in time crowd out the more deli- 
cate soul feelings. 

Discipline, bought at such a price, is paid for 
very dearly. In my own personal experience, as 
boy and man, the most hypocritical, mean-spirited, 
treacherous characters I have come into contact 
with, were among those who had been most disci- 
plined by unsympathetic and unrelenting parents. 

This is not to say, or imply, that corporal 
punishment, or stern treatment, necessarily leads 
to such unfortunate results. It is merely to indi- 
cate some of the possible dangers and drawbacks. 
With sturdy, primitive natures, an occasional 
beating is a matter of little moment; while for 
unthinking, commonplace minds, and undeveloped, 
unsensitive souls, the habit of obedience and docile 
respect for authority, in any and all forms, may 
be an excellent thing. A wolf cannot be trained 
in the same way as a setter dog, or a canary bird ; 
and even among horses, the kind of treatment 
that a cart-horse thrives under, would ruin a 
thoroughbred completely. 

The traditional methods of handling children 
date back to a time when there were many wolves 
and cart-horses and no method would have gener- 
ally survived which did not include them. 

But in our advanced civilization, as mothers 
frequently have more sensitive stock to deal with, 

254 



HEART AND SOUL 

there is reason for them to feel that, somehow, 
they should go about it differently. This appears 
to be a partial explanation of what we see going 
on throughout the length and breadth of our land. 
It is for their benefit that a more sympathetic 
principle has been gradually emerging from the 
confusion. 

And let us note in passing that the altered sen- 
timent on the part of mothers, and the principle 
which responds to it, cannot be credited in any 
way to the achievements of modern science, be- 
cause a similar tendency showed itself sooner and 
became more pronounced and wide-spread in com- 
munities of China and Japan, where no modern 
science had penetrated. It would seem rather an 
intuitive growth of delicate understanding on the 
part of parents, as they become relieved from the 
strenuous needs of material existence. 

This third principle does not tend to "spoil" 
the child, or repress its affection, or distort any 
of the finer impulses of its spiritual nature. It 
does not destroy obedience or discipline; but in- 
stead of obedience and discipline inspired by a 
whip, it seeks to erect self -obedience, self -disci- 
pline and self-control. 

How does it work? First, through love, be- 
cause in nature that comes first; then, little by 

255 



HEAET AND SOUL 

little, through the unfolding of conscience and 
faith. 

We have talked about the heart feelings of a 
child, so it is only necessary to refer to them 
again, not for the joy they may bring to mothers, 
but because loyalty, fidelity, consideration for 
others, growing out of affection, may merge imper- 
ceptibly with feelings which are essentially moral 
and spiritual, to the immense advantage of both. 
Let a mother love her child, then, and cherish its 
love, with all the lavishness, tenderness, constancy 
of which she is capable. There can never be too 
much of it — there can never be enough of it — 
either for the child's good, or the mother's. And 
before the child is really old enough to think, let it 
have a radiant, deep-rooted feeling that mother's 
love is a mainstay of life, which will never waver 
or desert it, under any possible contingency, and 
which it, in turn, will never, never desert. And 
let a mother never trifle with that feeling, or 
prove fickle to it, at any stage, but treasure it as 
the holiest of holies, the very essence of the char- 
acter she hopes to see formed. 

In the early stages of development, when a 
child's mind is unable to reason or understand, 
little habits of second nature are formed. The 
moral questions do not come to the fore until the 
age of reason and the first awakening of the 

256 



HEART AND SOUL 

spiritual feelings. And they bring with them una- 
voidably, the problem of obedience and discipline. 

Suppose your son disobeys you, what then? Or 
suppose he has disobeyed the nurse, and she 
comes and tells you! Something has to be done 
about that, surely. What must you do ! 

Well, first of all, there is one thing you must 
be very careful not to do. Don't scold — don't 
speak harshly — don't look cross — don't get angry. 
Look at your child with sympathy and understand- 
ing, and when he meets your eye, with a cunning 
little look of shame and defiance, smiie back at 
him reassuringly, anjd hold out your hand to 
him. Then, after the nurse has had her say, thank 
her for telling you about it and ask her to leave 
you, because in the tender confidences between 
mother and son it is not proper that an outside 
and possibly antagonistic influence should intrude. 

When she has gone, take him on your knee, put 
your arms about him and hug him tight. Don't 
let him forget for an instant that he is your very 
own and you are his very own mother. Whatever 
may be going to come of it, keep that point clear — 
that you are his partner and help-mate and he 
is never going to be left out in the cold. Nothing 
will help more toward a fair-minded understand- 
ing of the situation. Ask him to tell you all about 
it, just how and why it all happened and help him 

257 



HEABT AND SOUL 

with your sympathy and patience to express him- 
self fully. 
Let us imagine that this is what has occurred : 
When he was out walking, he saw a dead bird 
lying under the bushes on the other side of a 
ditch. The nurse, Delia, told him not to, but he 
did climb across the ditch and picked it up. It was 
an awfully pretty bird and he just wanted to 
look at it. When she told him to throw it away, 
he wouldn't come back. Then she caught him 
and shook his arm and he couldn't help it — he 
just got angry. He threw the bird at her and 
called her "an ugly old crow." 

When mother has heard it all, she can start in 
very gently to answer and explain. And it won't 
hurt a bit to begin by letting him see that she un- 
derstands perfectly just how he felt. She remem- 
bers a dead bird she found once, when she was 
little. But, on the other hand, Delia was only 
doing what she thought was best. There might 
have been nasty worms on the bird. 

But that, after all, is not the main thing. The 
main thing is, that if he is to be trusted to go 
out walking with his nurse, he must be willing to 
do as she says, no matter how unreasonable it 
may seem. Otherwise mother would be worry- 
ing all the time — and something dreadful might 
happen — he might get lost, or run over. He 

258 



HEAET AND SOUL 

doesn't have to go out walking with Delia, if 
he doesn 't want to ; that is for him to decide. But 
if he does decide to go, it must be on the distinct 
understanding that he agrees not to disobey her. 

The boy is rightly entitled to his say about this 
and if he has any objections, it is for mother to 
meet them and dissipate them with her love and 
reasons. Nothing should be demanded between 
mother and son which does not seem just and 
fair to both. 

One final point remains to be considered. He 
threw the bird in Delia's face and called her a 
name which must have hurt her feelings. 

Boy: "I couldn't help it. I was angry." 

Mother: "I understand that perfectly. But 
all the same, it was rather hard on Delia, espe- 
cially when she was only trying to do what she 
thought was right.' ' 

Boy : " Sometimes, I 've got an awful temper. ' ' 

Mother: "I don't mind that a bit. I'm glad 
of it. It's only because you have such strong 
feelings. ' ' 

Boy: "Have you got a temper, too?" 

Mo\ther (smiling and nodding): "Of course I 
have — as bad as yours — or worse." 

Boy (delighted): "Keally?" 

Mother: "But it's something we all have to 
learn to control. Because if we can't control it, 

259 



HEART AND SOUL 

it 's sure to make us do things that we 're ashamed 
of afterwards — things that are unkind and unfair 
to others. Are n't you just a little bit ashamed of 
what you did to Delia ?" 

Boy (meeting her eye with smile of enquiry — 
then looking away and thinking, with feeling): 
"No— I'm not!" 

Mother (peltting his hand): "Well — I suppose 
you're still thinking about the bird — and there's 
still a little of that old temper left. But wait 
awhile and think it over. And — I'm going to tell 
you something that I think would be awfully nice. 
Sometime, if you did happen to feel like it and 
went to Delia of your own accord and explained 
to her how you lost your temper and were sorry 
for calling her that awful name V 9 

Boy (looking away, thinking, [then turning to 
her, hesitating and shaking his head) : "I could n't 
mummy, please, — I couldn't — not now " 

Mother: "I'm sure she'd appreciate it, a lot. 
Poor Delia — she tries so hard and she's so sen- 
sitive and she's really so fond of you. Of course, 
I wouldn't want you to say you were sorry, un- 
less it was really true. It's only a sham and a 
humbug to make people say things they don't 
mean. It's entirely a question of how you feel 
about it, in your own heart. And nobody can de- 
cide that for you but yourself." 

260 



HEAET AND SOUL 

After an incident of this sort, how would a 
mother feel if Delia told her, the next afternoon, 
that Master Bob had come to her and apologized 
like a little gentleman — and he'd been so sweet 
and dear — and he'd kissed her — and it touched her 
so, it broke her all np and she couldn't help 
crying? 

If we take the pains to examine a little every- 
day example of this sort, it is not difficult to see 
that it involves some fairly important feelings. 
First of all, it encourages a feeling of faith — 
faith in mother, in her sympathy and understand- 
ing and justice. Then consideration for others 
— self-control — and finally conscience, what the 
inner nature, of its own accord, feels to be right. 
All these may be of vital account in the formation 
of a fine character, and they may be brought into 
play by this sort of treatment just as effectually 
as by a beating. 

Of course it cannot be assumed, or expected, that 
the immediate result in any given case will prove 
so satisfactory. Sooner or later, with nearly all 
children, there are sure to come times when gentle 
explanations will not suffice. Something more 
impressive has to be resorted to. 

This final resort was, in fact, faintly indicated 
in our example — but so faintly, that it might be 
overlooked. 

261 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

It was carefully explained to the boy that if 
he would not agree to obey Delia, when he wenl 
out walking with her, then he could not enjoy the 
privilege of going out walking with Delia. This 
is a principle of punishment, which may be ap- 
plied to any and all cases, to almost any desired 
degree. 

And it has at least one great advantage over 
other kinds of punishment. It can be made to 
avoid all danger of seeming unjust and arousing 
resentment. 

Let us look into the application of this prin- 
ciple with reference to the more serious problems 
of misconduct which are liable to arise. 

In general experience, the most serious troubles, 
or faults, which a mother has to contend with, are 
forgetfulness, temper, selfishness, deception, ly- 
ing. Her aim is to see them supplanted by a habit 
of reflection, self-control, consideration for others, 
sincerity, truth. She believes and feels that these 
latter qualities are better for the boy's own wel- 
fare, better for the people he loves, better for 
everybody. She wants her boy to feel this way 
about it, too. 

Very well, then, the first thing to be sure of is 
that the boy really understands the meaning of 
those things which you expect of him — the whys 
and wherefores and the good that is in them. Oth- 

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HEAET AND SOUL 

erwise — if he is not sincere about it, if he must 
do things in which he does n't believe — there 's an 
element of sham about it which leads quite nat- 
urally to concealment and hypocrisy. 

It is true, he may always be counted on to do 
a great deal for love, for mother's sake, — pro- 
vided that mother has cared for that love. But 
that is a sacred privilege, which should not be 
abused. It may have the effect of setting a bad 
example. If she has the right to ask him to do 
something which he doesn't see the sense of and 
does n't feel like doing, why should n't he have the 
same right to ask her to let him do things which 
she does n't see the sense of and does n't feel like 
letting him do? If that is the way of love, why 
does n't it apply to one, as well as the other? This 
may be very cunning and sweet, upon occasion; 
but for steady diet, it does not help the growth of 
moral feeling. 

It is much better that he should never be re- 
quired to do things which he cannot understand 
sufficiently to feel the right of. This all comes 
about quite naturally, in the course of compan- 
ionship. There are countless opportunities for ex- 
plaining and questioning, about this, that, or the 
other. No growing child is slow about asking in- 
numerable questions and trying his best to under- 
stand. Preaching of any kind is n't necessary. It 

263 



HEAET AND SOUL 

seldom, if ever, gets home in the best way. The 
same thing is true of scolding and harsh words. 
They are not at all necessary; and they usually 
do a great deal more harm than good. 

Let us suppose, then, that your son has 
been guilty of an act of selfishness — and to 
make matters worse, through a feeling of shame, 
he has first attempted concealment and then re- 
sorted to lying. 

That is a rather trying situation for mother 
to face. It is about as hard a nut as she will ever 
have to crack. In the old days, there would be 
no hesitation in saying that the first thing it called 
for was a good sound beating. 

But instead of that, let us imagine that mother 
is brave enough to stick to her love feeling, re- 
assures her boy, smilingly, and holds him close. 
First she gives him a chance to tell all about it, 
in his own way, and helps him along to a confi- 
dential admission of the shameful facts. 

And to make the case as extreme as possible, 
we will assume that there were no palliating cir- 
cumstances whatever. The best that the boy can 
say for himself is that he just did n't stop to think 
— he went ahead and did it — and afterwards, he 
felt ashamed and didn't want anyone to know — 
and then, well, he tried to get out of it by lying. 

Mo\ther (smiling, thinking): "Well, well — 

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HEAET AND SOUL 

here's a pretty kettle of fish — isn't it? What in 
the world are we going to do about it?" 

Boy (looking down, nervous, does not answer). 

Mother: "I suppose there's no use crying over 
it. The main thing is how we can find a way 
to keep it from happening again. Perhaps it 
would help, if we could find the right kind of pun- 
ishment?" (No answer.) "What kind of pun- 
ishment shall it be — the fairest we can think of? 
Suppose you decide it for yourself. What would 
you suggest?" 

Boy (very nervous): "I don't know." 

Mother: "How would it be if, the next time you 
told a lie, you and mother could n't, either of you, 
go riding in the automobile for two days?" 

Boy (troubled, thinking, giving her a look): 
"Two whole days?" 

Mother (smiling): "That's a pretty big pun- 
ishment but, after all, lying is a pretty bad 
thing, which we do n 't want to have happen. Sup- 
pose we start with that and agree on it — two whole 
days?" 

Boy (looking down, thinking, very nervous): 
1 ' If you could n 't go riding, either — why should 
you be punished?" 

Mother: Because I'm your own mother and I 
love you better than anything in the world. What- 
ever you do, can't help affecting me. Besides, 

265 



HEART AND SOUL 

you see, in a way, I'm largely responsible for 
whatever you do. If I do n't bring you up right 
— is n't it my fault? And if we both have to be 
punished together, that may help you to remem- 
ber." 

Boy gives her a glance, looks down, thinking — 
begins to smile, hesitates. 

Mother: "What are you thinking? Tell me." 

Boy: "You mightn't know anything about it 
— if it was to the cook, or Delia, or Vincent — or 
somebody else?" 

Molther: "That's true. It's something else for 
us to think about. If a boy tells a lie to anybody 
— because he's ashamed or afraid — that's bad 
enough. But afterwards, if he doesn't own up 
to it like a little man, but tries to conceal it from 
his mother, or deny it, that is ever so much worse. 
It deserves a much bigger punishment. Is n 't that 
right? . . . Isn't it?" 

Boy looks down, showing more nervousness, 
finally assents. 

Mother: "Very well, then — this is what seems 
fair to me: If my boy tells another lie and 
doesn't attempt to deny it, afterwards — then the 
punishment will be as we agreed — two days, with 
no automobile for either of us. But if, before 
she hears of it, he comes, of his own accord, and 
tells mother all about it — that's better, and we'll 

266 



HEAET AND SOUL 

reduce the punishment to one day. But if, on the 
contrary, he tries to conceal it and denies it and 
tells more lies, that is worst of all — and when it 
is found out, as it is very apt to be, sooner or 
later — then the punishment will have to be harder 
on all of us — and father will have to be included 
too." 

Boy (quickly): "Father!" 

Mother: "If father is going to have that kind 
of a son, he will have to know about it and suffer 
for it, too. He will have to take his punishment, 
whether he wants to or not — the same as you 
and I." 

Boy: "Oh, mummy, please! Does father have 
to know about that, yet 1 ' ' 

Mother: "Well, you see, dear, father loves 
us both, very much. We both belong to him — 
we both bear his name — and he works very hard 
to give us everything he can to make us happy." 

Boy: "But if I don't do it again ?" 

Mother (^hugging him,): "All right! If you 
really mean to try very hard, perhaps we '11 never 
have to come to that. I 'm quite sure I do n't want 
to, any more than you do. There ! it's understood 
and agreed — and we won't say another word 
about it." 

That is a simple example of the principle; but 
it is enough to suggest the beginning and end of 

267 



HEABT AND SOUL 

the whole thing. It can be made elastic enough 
— gentle or severe enough — to fit almost any or 
all cases that may be imagined. 

The punishment is talked over and understood, 
in advance, not in any way as a chastisement, in- 
flicted by an angry parent, but as a necessary 
and eminently fair means of impressing upon an 
unformed character the need of self-control, and 
the avoidance of an act which he knows is un- 
worthy. 

There are always certain things in every child's 
life which mean a lot to him — dolls, toys, games, 
skates, baseball, bicycle, automobile rides, swim- 
ming, tennis, golf — or something else — at all ages, 
up to manhood. 

To be deprived of an important pleasure is a 
sure way of making him stop and think over the 
meaning of it. There is only one thing that will 
bring it home more surely and more deeply, and 
that is to see the one he loves best deprived of her 
important pleasures, too, as a result of his mis- 
conduct. If mother cannot go out in the automo- 
bile; if mother cannot play the piano; if mother 
cannot read to him, or tell him stories ; if mother 
cannot come to the table for her meals; — the 
sight of this and the knowledge that he is the 
cause of it, will put a terrible tug on the heart- 
strings and the conscience. And in extreme cases, 

268 



HEART AND SOUL 

if father has to be included in the punishment, 
and deprived of his pleasures, too, that makes the 
boy's feeling of guilty responsibility even more 
pronounced. 

Yet, with it all, there is no chance for a sense 
of personal resentment and injustice to obscure 
the meaning. The unfairness and severity — if 
there be any — applies most to mother and is in- 
flicted by the boy's own act. And if mother sets 
the example of accepting it bravely and smilingly, 
with no complaint and no scolding, and clings 
fast to her love and sympathy, in this trial of 
love, such experiences may be counted on to 
prove entirely helpful to the growth of moral feel- 
ing and self -discipline. 

And once a punishment has been determined 
and agreed upon in advance, it should never be 
deviated from in the slightest degree. If a child 
were allowed to evade it, or modify it, by cajolery 
or cunning appeal, that would tend to destroy 
the spirit of fairness and faith in mother's word. 

If a child will not respond to this kind of treat- 
ment and this kind of punishment, it is fairly safe 
to assume that he would respond even less, as 
far as the development of character is concerned, 
to ill-temper, harsh language, and the whip. 

So much for the question of discipline, about 
which many well-intentioned mothers of the pres- 

269 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

ent day are so perplexed and confused. In this 
connection, however, there remains to be made a 
general observation and warning, upon which too 
much stress can hardly be laid. 

A certain amount of discipline, in a few impor- 
tant matters which involve moral feeling, is al- 
most essential to the proper formation of char- 
acter. On the other hand, constant restraint and 
excessive discipline, in the natural exuberance 
of youthful impulses and activities, is unwise and 
unfair to human nature. A mother who puts a 
healthy, normal boy in a pretty suit of clothes, 
and then would talk punishment, because he plays 
in the mud, or climbs a tree, doesn't deserve to 
have a healthy, normal boy. His impulse to play 
in the mud and climb trees is infinitely more vital 
and admirable than the vanity and sentimentality 
which attaches to spotless clothes. Sturdy vital- 
ity is a splendid foundation for sturdy character. 
Almost any kind of activity which does not en- 
danger his life or health is good for him. Lots of 
love and a little helpful guidance, in essential 
things, is all that he usually needs — and very, very 
little repression, of any kind — the less the better. 

In a child's nature the faculty of imagination 
and the force of example are important considera- 
tions in the development of the spiritual feelings 
and the formation of fine ideals. The world of 

270 



HEABT AND SOUL 

make-believe, of purest fantasy, is just as inter- 
esting and just as significant as the every day ac- 
tualities of life. It makes not the slightest dif- 
ference to a little boy, or girl, whether the stories 
you read them, or the acts of hero and heroine, 
are reasonable or not. (And if, in the preceding 
pages, I have referred to the child as being a 
boy, that is only for convenience in writing and 
not to imply that the observations would differ 
in the case of a girl.) The child's imagination 
is ready and eager to follow you anywhere and 
the main thing is the exercise of the feelings oc- 
casioned by fictitious events. 

This is one of the earliest ways for the tender 
soul nature to find nourishment and growth. The 
more rhymes and jingles it can hear, the more 
fairy tales, stories of adventure, thrilling deeds 
of heroism, the better it is for the forming traits 
of character. In nearly all the stories a mother 
may find to read or tell to her children, there are 
examples and side-lights of courage, devotion, 
honor, loyalty, cheerfulness, patience, and other 
exhilarating qualities. There is no necessity of 
picking and choosing too carefully, or of attempt- 
ing to confine the exercise to a certain sort of fic- 
tion whose tendency is obviously moral. The 
biggest part of it is to give the imagination and 
inner feelings plenty of food to grow on, to en- 

271 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

courage and stimulate a liking and admiration 
for things which appeal to the interest through 
the imagination. Given half a chance, nature can 
be fairly well trusted to look after the rest — 
and in the long run is apt to prove as true a 
guide as finicky and restricted notions which may 
be lacking in broad comprehension. 

One of the loveliest and most helpful occupa- 
tions any mother can have is to learn to tell sto- 
ries to her children. Many mothers may find 
themselves a little deficient in this ability, at first ; 
but, with the inspiration of love and their holy 
cause, almost any mother can soon acquire a 
charming facility in doing it. And the advan- 
tage to the children, as well as to mother, which 
may be derived from this method is very consider- 
able. A story told by mother is easier to under- 
stand, more sympathetic, more delightful, less set 
and cumbersome than nearly any story which has 
to be read methodically from the printed pages 
of a book. A mother is in close touch with the 
needs and natures of her own flock — she can em- 
bellish and interpret and add her own loving 
comments, as such and as often as she feels the 
call for it. 

I have found by experience that so many stories 
which are supposedly designed for children, make 
use of big and stilted words, complicated ideas, 

272 



HEART AND SOUL 

and tedious, long-winded explanations. Mother 
can read them so quickly by herself and then pre- 
serve the pith and point of them in her own man- 
ner of recounting. There is practically no limit 
to the variety of kinds and subjects which may 
be interpreted and rendered available in this way. 
The story of Ivanhoe, or Quentin Durward, or Lo- 
hengrin, may be just as readily told in this way 
as Cinderella, or Robin Hood, or Aladdin and his 
Wonderful Lamp. But set any child the task of 
reading for itself a great volume of Ivanhoe, or 
many of the other world classics, or of listening 
to any one who waded through the long descrip- 
tions for hours on end, is hardly to be thought of. 

Fortunately there are a number of books which 
seem to have been written by people who love 
children and understand them. These a mother 
can search out and select from and make good 
use of. 

One of the curious things about youth is that 
children love to hear the same stories over and 
over again, even after they know them almost by 
heart. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that 
the appeal is principally to the feelings and not 
to the intellect. Intellectual people, when once 
they know the contents of a book, seldom have any 
further interest in it. But music and painting and 
poetry do not lose interest through familiarity, 

273 



HEAET AND SOUL 

even for mature natures. Their appeal is more 
like that which stories have for children. 

Owing to this condition of affairs, a mother 
need never be at a loss for stories to tell or sto- 
ries to read. This part of child life should not 
be an exceptional occurrence due to her mood or 
whim, but a constant feature of the daily life, 
to be counted on and treasured up. The lovely 
atmosphere which surrounds it, the moral and 
spiritual ideals which are engendered by it, com- 
bine in making it a precious influence in the rear- 
ing of a new generation. 

"But," exclaims the up-to-date woman, of en- 
lightened intellect, "what kind of old-fashioned, 
benighted mother are you prating about! This 
is the era of woman's rights and woman's eman- 
cipation! What time would a woman have for 
her own affairs — for the exercise of her rights, 
which have been won with so much effort 
— if she had to keep bothering her head with that 
sort of thing!" 

That is true. It would seem as if we had for- 
gotten about the self-interest and selfishness of 
the modern movement, which is there on all sides 
to poke its tongue at a mother's devotion to her 
sacred cause. 

Indeed, we have no answer to give to that kind 
of selfishness. The essence of our thought is love 

274 



HEAET ANB SOUL 

and faith in the love of motherhood. There is 
no selfishness in it and the language it uses is 
not translatable into terms which the rule of rea- 
son can hope to understand. 

But to those mothers whose hearts are still in 
the right place, even if their heads have become 
more or less confused by the shouting and ex- 
ample of intellectual leaders, there is a very simple 
observation to suggest, as an answer to such ob- 
jections. 

Is it of much importance or benefit to you, your- 
self, or to anybody, or any thing, that you should 
spend so much of your time in gambling at the 
bridge table? Or gossiping at an afternoon tea? 
Or attending a meeting at the woman's club? 
Or at the hair-dresser's and manicure's! Or in 
intellectual pursuits of any kind ? Is it not more im- 
portant to you and to your family and to the fu- 
ture of your race and kind, to devote a consider- 
able amount of your time and energy to the chil- 
dren, who love you and need you and can profit 
greatly by your help? 

Is not that entitled to the best you can give, 
not only because it is the most important of all 
earthly occupations, but because by doing it you 
set the blessed example of thinking first and most 
of others, and last and least of self? 

After the children are tucked in their beds, 

275 



HEAET AND SOUL 

peaceful and happy in the land of dreams, then 
it is time enough for you to turn your thoughts to 
personal distractions and pleasures, which are 
proper and wholesome for a human being when 
the daily work of life is done. Nobody will be- 
grudge it to you, and you need not begrudge it 
to yourself. It is what distractions are for. It 
is also what the great majority of husbands and 
fathers and grandfathers have been doing since 
the beginning of time — working to the best of 
their ability for the good of home and family — 
content with their recreation, after the work is 
done? 

How can any true mother in her heart and soul 
be so disturbed and misguided by intellectual en- 
lightenment that she could be led to desert her 
eternal responsibility for the pursuit of selfish- 
ness — or the agitation of isms? 

It ought to be reasonably clear that if a mother 
does desert her responsibility, and leaves to the 
care of a hired employee the development of her 
child's moral and spiritual feelings, the results 
are liable to be very unsatisfactory. It is the same 
story over again, which we took account of in 
connection with the heart feelings. Nagging, 
scolding, lack of sympathy, false standards, su- 
perstitions, threats, deceptions, bug-a-boos — are 
all apt to take a hand in forcing a necessity for dis- 

276 



HEART AND SOUL 

oipline and deforming character. The tangles 
of temper, fear, deception, resentment, will never 
be unravelled and patiently straightened out. 
In their wake, are pretty sure to come, sooner 
or later, scenes with mother and father — hy- 
pocritical or defiant, cajoling, whining, or tem- 
pestuous — in which harsh and ugly words will 
sometimes play a part. 

And one fine day, the mother will probably 
vouchsafe the remark, as so many modern mothers 
have done in my presence, that when certain boys, 
or girls, reach a certain age, they get so that it 
is quite impossible to do anything with them at 
home and the only sensible way is to ship them 
off to a boarding-school. 

How much of a mother's time is required for 
the right kind of care for her children? Who 
can judge of each case, but the right kind of moth- 
er? Whatever the child has need of, that is 
for her to watch over and give, to the fullest of 
her capacity. 

And what of the role of a father in this most 
vital of responsibilities? It is essentially that 
of a help-mate — to bring cheer and comfort and 
courage, and the tenderest of protection and sup- 
port. i i The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand 
that rules the world" — so says the old adage. In 
any case, it is upon the sanctity and devotion of 

277 



HEART AND SOUL 

mother love that the future of our race depends 
— and the deepest feeling of a manly man has 
never doubted it. 

There is much, much more that might be said 
about the relationship of a father to a mother, and 
of a mother to a father. The right foundation 
for it should be the deepest of moral and spiritual 
feelings. The true significance of it cannot help 
being eternal, not temporary. In no department 
of life, has the scientific principle of self-interest 
and the rule of reason had a more confusing, cor- 
rupting, and destructive influence. To attempt 
to translate the meaning of a marriage into terms 
of a business partnership is a ghastly mockery. 

This subject is too big and the discussion of it 
would carry us too far afield, to be undertaken in 
the present connection. Our attention has been 
confined, for the time being, to mother love and 
the formation of character for the next generation. 

And the next question which confronts mother 
love is the question of schools and school education 
— one of the most perplexing and troubling of 
all, and yet unavoidable. 

Let us suppose that our mother is an ideal one 
— that she has gladly responded with the best that 
is in her to her love and responsibility — that she 
has cherished and nourished every tender little 
bud in the heart and soul of her boy — that the twig 

278 



HEAET AND SOUL 

of character is rising up straight and beautiful, 
in every respect. 

Then conies the day when Master Bob must go 
off to school — a day school, or a boarding school, 
or first one and then the other. 

Why does he have to do this ? In the first place 
because it is the custom every boy is supposed 
to do it, when he arrives at a certain age — and 
then, to receive proper instruction, his brain must 
be taught, his mind enlightened. 

So off to school he must go, and when he gets 
there, a new and different atmosphere surrounds 
him, a new influence is brought to bear on the 
little character, so tenderly forming, and in the 
main the nature of this influence is two-fold. First, 
there is the school-room and the school books and 
the teaching of teachers — and second, there is the 
companionship, intimacy, teaching, of the other 
boys with whom he is thrown into contact. 

As the action of this latter influence is usually 
the more immediate, direct, and compelling, we 
may as well give it the foremost place in our con- 
sideration. And let us be careful to state frankly 
and bear constantly in mind that all cases are by 
no means alike. The conditions to be met with 
may be largely accidental and differ materially 
in degree or kind. And the consequences, for any 
particular boy, may depend very largely upon 

279 



HEART AND SOUL 

accidental circumstances, or inherited tendencies. 
A boy, who is naturally warm-blooded and very 
impulsive, may not react in the same way as an- 
other boy, who is inclined to be reserved and 
reflective. If I am led by my observations to 
make use of extreme or exceptional examples, it 
is not my intention to imply that they are the rule, 
but merely to bring out clearly a point, or mean- 
ing, which, in less degree, may have a more gen- 
eral application. 

We have already had occasion to refer repeat- 
edly to the force of example in shaping the con- 
duct and ideas of a vast majority of people. No- 
where is this force more rapidly effective, than in 
the case of growing children. It is their instinct 
to absorb and imitate, consciously or unconscious- 
ly, and so adapt themselves to new conditions of 
development. 

And this instinct is sure to be very much alive, 
more than ever alive, when boys and girls find 
themselves removed from the family influence, 
amid new conditions and new companions of the 
school. 

Before we follow our boy, Bob, so far, let us 
pause for a moment and consider this question 
of companionship with other boys and the influ- 
ence of example, as it may have applied to him, 
while mother was still at hand to watch over him. 

280 



HEART AND SOUL 

Any boy or boys that Bob might come into contact 
with, or make companions of, would also come un- 
der mother's eye. Not only that, but Bob would 
repeat to her, spontaneously and gushingly, every 
new thing that they said, or did. And if Bob still 
had a nurse hanging about, she would have an 
eye and an ear and something to say to mother, 
too. If one of these boys happened to be tricky 
and deceitful, resentful and cruel, mother would 
be sure to know about it very quickly. She could 
straighten out Bob r s feelings with regard to any 
of those things before real damage occurred; and 
sire could see to it that such contamination was 
kept away from him. As long as a boy remains 
under the home influence, it is part of mother's 
responsibility to guard against just such things. 
As soon as he goes away to school, and gets 
under the new influence, it is no longer possible 
for her to do so. Of all the various kinds of boys 
to be found at any school, which ones Bobby is 
destined to have as closest companions, to ex- 
change confidences with constantly, and have set 
him the example, is largely a matter of luck, or 
accident. It may come about through adjoining 
seats in class, or though proficiency in the same 
games, or a common interest in collecting bird's 
eggs, or postage stamps, or through being room- 
mates, or sleeping in the same corridor at board- 

281 



HEART AND SOUL 

ing-school, or one of a dozen other haphazard 
reasons. 

Let us imagine that by chance, in this way, Bob- 
by's closest companions turn out, in due time, to 
be four in number. And for the sake of empha- 
sizing our meaning and the principle involved, 
let us imagine that the accident, in this particular 
case, is more extreme than usual. 

The first boy, Ed, has been brought up chiefly 
by a stern and rigidly moral father of the old 
school, who has reprimanded, disciplined, chas- 
tised, most consistently and thoroughly. The sec- 
ond boy, Sam, has a society mother, somewhat of 
a belle, and so feverishly absorbed in her vanities 
and distractions, that his up-bringing, from the 
cradle, has devolved entirely upon a series of 
Irish, Swedish and German nurses. The third 
boy, Bill, has a very intellectual mother, an ardent 
devotee of woman's rights, and an active worker 
in various up-lift and educational movements. 
She laid out a plan of mental development for him, 
in early childhood, in accordance with the latest 
scientific books, but not having the time to at- 
tend to it herself, and having had constant rows 
with her nurses, she has ended up by heaping the 
blame on the natural stupidity and stubbornness 
of the boy, which could only have been inherited 
from his father. The fourth boy, Hal, is the most 

282 



HEART AND SOUL 

up-to-date of all. His mother and father were 
both divorced and both remarried and both have 
new families, for which his only feeling is mild re- 
sentment and disdain. 

These boys are hardly to blame if, as a result of 
such home training, the growth of their characters 
has already become tangled and somewhat over- 
run by the weeds of selfishness and calculation. 
If they were only mischievous, high-spirited and 
lacking in respect, the harm might not be great; 
but there is also a deficiency of the generous feel- 
ings of sympathy and affection, of moral stand- 
ards, and of any abiding faith in what should be. 
Their bodies and their brains may be well de- 
veloped; but not their hearts and souls. 

They may find it to their interest to display 
perfect discipline in the school-room and receive 
high marks and commendation from their teach- 
ers ; they may also excel in the various games and 
win prizes on the athletic field; but this in no 
way prevents them from setting an insidious 
example to a less precocious companion. 

For practical purposes, the point-of-view and 
controlling motives of these four boys is in fairly 
complete accord. They think it is very smart to 
do things which are against the rules; but they 
think it is very stupid to get caught. They be- 
lieve in using their wits to get the best of other 

283 



HEABT AND SOUL 

people — especially older people, like parents and 
teachers. They believe in practising concealment, 
dissimulation and insincerity; but they are very 
wary of getting saddled with a downright lie. 
They have the utmost contempt for a ' ' tell-tale, ' ' 
and they include in this opprobrium any boy who 
has n't sense enough to keep from older people an 
inkling of any sort, as to what he himself may 
have been up to, as well as any others of the 
crowd. Nothing is half so bad as blabbing what 
you know — not even the risk of getting caught in 
a lie. They laugh at scruples of conscience; and 
they place little dependence on mother love, or 
father love, or any kind of love which isn't self- 
centered and decidedly material. They also have 
little use for high-flown sentiment, poetry, old- 
fashioned prejudices and pretences of romance; 
and if they do have time to read a book, they want 
it to be something up-to-date and exciting — a de- 
tective story, for instance, with a master thief 
and vampires. In addition to this, they have a 
number of other precocious and undigested no- 
tions about a variety of things, which they are 
ready to pass out confidentially, in almost any 
connection. 

Again we repeat that it is not to be inferred 
that all the boys in any school, or any great pro- 
portion of them, are necessarily of this sort. But 

284 



HEART AND SOUL 

in almost any school, some of them are liable to 
be met with — more so to-day than ever, for rea- 
sons which have been amply explained. There is 
no way of telling, at school, what certain boys 
may be thinking and saying and doing, when they 
are out of sight and hearing. If onr boy, Bob, 
is unfortunate enough to be thrown in close and 
constant contact with that kind, it is unreasonable 
to imagine that he is at all to blame. His natural 
effort is to try and adapt himself to conditions 
as he finds them; he sees and feels that he is but 
a tiny part of a big system, in which most matters 
are determined for him, by the system itself. 
Aside from which, his nature is very trusting and 
sensitive, rather shy at first, and totally without 
experience of this new and perplexing world. 

The feelings and ideals which have been grow- 
ing so tenderly in his little heart and soul are 
not robust enough to offer much resistance to 
repeated and covert attacks. They are in as great 
a need as ever, of guidance and encouragement 
and nourishment and the sunlight of loving sym- 
pathy. The formation of character was proceed- 
ing in a beautiful and promising way, but it may 
not be safely assumed that the results are com- 
plete and permanent at such an early age — the 
customary age which most parents accept for 
sending their children to school. And where, in 

285 



HEART AND SOUL 

the chance companionship of school life, is a fit- 
ting substitute to be found for the right kind of 
family influence and the devotion of mother love? 

It is sad to say it, but I have, in my own experi- 
ence, known a number of cases, where the havoc 
caused in a promising character was directly 
traceable to the influence and bad example of 
youthful associates. 

A practical, up-to-date mind might say compla- 
cently that such characters must have been so 
weak that they would probably have gone that 
way, anyhow. But that is merely to close one's 
eyes to the understanding of a vital principle, 
the inner feelings of heart and soul which play 
such a large part in the formation of character, 
are subject to growth and alteration, like all o,ther 
living things; and until they are given a fair 
chance to become strong, by development and ex- 
ercise and proper care, why should anything 
more than a relative weakness be expected of 
them? If you abandon them too soon to blight- 
ing influences, there is always danger of their 
being more or less spoiled. 

The other side of the school question relates to 
the school-books and school- rooms and the teach- 
ing of the teachers. 

When we stop and consider that the average 
little boy, or girl, between the ages of six and 

286 



HEART AND SOUL 

fourteen, spends thousands upon thousands of 
hours, in a more or less dreary and distasteful 
and uninspiring way, over school-books, in school 
and out, it might seem as if we had a right to 
ask ourselves : Does the result justify the means ? 
Does any one claim, or imagine, that school^ 
books contain much nourishment for the heart and 
soul, or the moral feelings, or love of beauty? 
Upon what grounds, does any one claim, or imag- 
ine, that such things are less important to the 
growth of character, and a cheerful disposition, 
and fine standards of conduct, than the training 
of the intellect? If we are perfectly satisfied 
that the method employed to train the intellect 
does not and need not interfere with a corres- 
ponding development of those other sides of hu- 
man nature — that is one thing. But let us not be 
satisfied to take so much for granted, without 
giving it a little thought. That is the first point 
to get clear. 

All those thousands of hours spent over school- 
books, in school-rooms, if they were not confined 
to that,- might be devoted to other things. That 
is obvious and inevitable. What kind of things? 
If they were allowed a freedom of choice, chil- 
dren would want to do the things that interested 
them the most — things they felt like doing. And 
the natural feelings of each growing individual 

287 



HEART AND SOUL 

would be the dominant factor in nearly all cases. 
The natural feelings of a little boy, or a little girl, 
are nothing for any one to be ashamed of, or de- 
plore, or wish to make otherwise. They are part 
of the all-wise plan, designed more profoundly 
and beautifully than any science of man can com- 
prehend. And nothing is more natural than that 
a boy, or a girl, growing up in an atmosphere of 
love and sympathy and kindness, and what is right 
and fair and admirable, should respond to those 
feelings, more and more, and grow to have them, 
too. Some selfish instincts have to be guided and 
controlled by deeper and better feelings and the 
exercise of reason, and that is natural, too. And 
even the selfish instincts are just as natural and 
just as wisely planned as the deeper and better 
feelings, or the exercise of reason. 

In the advanced stage of enlightenment at which 
we have arrived can any reasonable person fail 
to recognize this palpable truth! It is possible 
that some people might be found who have hap- 
pened to overlook it ; but less easy to believe that 
they could fail to recognize it, when it is called to 
their attention. 

Any normal child delights in the exercise of all 
its faculties and instincts and feelings — whether 
they be of the heart and the soul, or the body and 
the brain. This is the natural method of their 

288 



HEART AND SOUL 

growth. And the ideal individual would be one 
in whom all these sides had reached their fullest 
development, in a perfectly balanced whole. 

The vast majority of things which interest chil- 
dren and which they naturally like and seek to 
do are unconsciously in line with this endeavor. 
They all give exercise to some quality which is use- 
ful and proper to human nature. And the variety 
of interests which may act in this way is so in- 
finitely great, that children are seldom at a loss to 
find something that appeals to them. Sometimes 
they need advice, or help from older people, 
but that, too, is as it should be. 

If children, between six and fourteen, had at 
their disposal those thousands of hours which 
we have referred to, and did not have to bother 
with school or school-books — what kind of use 
might they be expected to put them to? 

It is not at all difficult to imagine. Play, in 
the first place, and games — in the sunshine and 
open air. And if the sun isn't shining, on rainy 
days, more play and games — in the play-room, 
or about the house, or somewhere under shelter. 
Marbles and tops and kites ; jumping rope, rolling 
hoops, making pin-wheels; skating, sledding, 
snow-balling; baseball, fishing, tennis; leap-frog, 
running, climbing trees; and dozens of other 
pastimes, too numerous to think of. The very 

289 



HEABT AND SOUL 

sound of them is healthy and joyous and exhila- 
rating and the general effect of them on a grow- 
ing nature is just as wholesome. 

But this is not all, by any means — only one 
kind of thing, chiefly of value to the physical side 
of development — health and strength and vitality 
and cheerfulness. 

In addition to this, there are many other inter- 
ests of a different order which may appeal to 
youth very strongly. A collection of postage 
stamps, or birds' eggs, or picture cards, may be- 
come of absorbing interest to boys and girls, with 
time on their hands. These may encourage pa- 
tience and perseverance and observation and 
enthusiasm, which are most admirable as traits 
of character. 

A boy may become deeply absorbed in a set of 
carpenter's tools and the things he can do with 
them. He can set his heart on making a pair of 
stilts, and a boat that will float and steer and sail, 
and tables and boxes and chests of drawers for his 
collections — all of which may develop skill and 
determination and an aspiration to fine accom- 
plishment. And the interest so begun may lead 
to a bracket-saw and carving tools, or a turning 
lathe, and the fashioning of more intricate and 
beautiful things. 

A boy, or a girl, may have a camera and learn 

290 



HEART AND SOUL 

to take pictures and develop them and print them, 
and encourage in this way the growth of feelings 
and tastes and much useful knowledge — in addi- 
tion to mental training. 

Boys and girls may set their hearts on build- 
ing a beautiful snow fort — and work and slave 
and overcome obstacles — until they have given 
themselves a fine lesson in industry, and the re- 
wards of successful accomplishment. 

A boy may become interested in a printing 
press, or a steam engine, or an electric machine 
of some sort, and acquire by means of it, not 
only a lot of worthy satisfaction and pleasure, but 
the enthusiasm of deep, spontaneous feelings — 
in addition to useful information and mental 
training. 

A perfectly normal boy, without any special 
bent for music, or art, may want to play on a 
drum, or a banjo — or to paint pictures with water- 
colors — and through the effort devoted to this 
want, encourage the growth of tastes and feelings, 
which may prove of benefit and value, all through 
life. 

If boys and girls are not occupied and tired by 
forced application to school-books, there is hardly 
any limit to the number of things, to which they 
may turn their attention, with natural energy and 
enthusiasm, and frequently with great benefit to 

291 



HEART AND SOUL 

feelings and qualities which involve not only the 
body and the mind, but the heart and soul, as 
well. 

We have named but a few of the activities to 
which those thousands of hours, now consumed 
by school-books and school-rooms, might be other- 
wise devoted. Whether or not those things are 
more important to general development of char- 
acter, they certainly cannot be indulged in to 
anything like the same extent, if so much time 
and energy is daily required for school edu- 
cation. When children are released from the 
school-room, their heads and their nerves are 
fairly tired and their bodies longing for free- 
dom. There is usually another period of study 
hanging over them, before bed-time ; and although 
a certain number of hours are allowed them for 
recreation, that recreation is not apt to take 
the form of heart-felt interests which put an added 
strain on nerves and head. 

With this point-of-view in mind, it may prove 
worth while to illustrate by some concrete ex- 
amples the kind of results that are liable to occur. 
And in choosing examples, this time, it will not 
be necessary to rely upon conjecture or imagina- 
tion. It so happens that I may refer to some 
actual cases where boys and girls have not been 
obliged to go to school, or even to open a school- 

292 



HEABT AND SOUL 

book, during all those thousands of hours. And, 
strangely enough, in spite of the forebodings and 
disapproval of many intellectual people, who al- 
ways feel it their duty to protest against such a 
procedure, the results in all the cases I have any 
knowledge of, were not disastrous at all, but very 
much the contrary. 

Let us begin with some girls — three sisters. 
Their parents were well-born and well-educated, 
the father being a man of considerable distinc- 
tion and originality. From a position of compar- 
ative wealth, they were reduced by business re- 
verses, to relative poverty, and retired to a farm- 
house in an unsettled district. The mother was 
in delicate health, the father under the need of 
trying to repair his fortunes, and there was no 
school-house within reach. In addition to that, 
the father had very little belief in current school 
methods, or the efficacy of school books. The re- 
sult was that the three girls were allowed to go 
without any education of the prescribed kind ; but 
an old man who happened to be living nearby, with 
nothing to do, was prevailed upon to come every 
day and help along with their enlightenment in 
any way they desired, or he saw fit. This old man 
had once had artistic tendencies, had tried his 
hand at various things, and was well-read and 
well-travelled. He soon took a great interest in 

293 



HEAKT AND SOUL 

the three bright and charming girls, and came to 
regard himself in the light of a kindly, sympa- 
thetic companion — which is the next best thing to 
a mother, or a father. 

He helped the girls with their flower garden, 
went walking with them in the fields and answered 
as many of their questions as he could about 
flowers and planting and trees and shrubs and 
plants, birds, snakes and bees — anything and 
everything they showed an interest in. 

When it was raining, he played on the piano 
for them and showed them how to play little tunes 
for themselves — which they thought was great 
fun. He could paint and draw very well and he 
brought them a box of water colors and showed 
them how to color pictures and draw flowers and 
birds and simple things for themselves. He also 
got some clay and played with them at modelling 
figures of various kinds. 

In addition to that, he had one idea, which was 
a sort of hobby, and about which he talked to 
them a lot. Every girl, as she grew up, as well 
as every boy and man, would be called upon, 
sooner or later, to write letters to people she 
cared about, and wanted those letters to be nice 
and interesting. Most people did n't know how to 
express their thoughts. So every day, they sat 
down together, indoors or out, and each wrote a 

294 



HEART AND SOUL 

letter to an imaginary friend. Little by little, the 
letters became easier and longer and more inter- 
esting. 

Frequently lie recited poetry that he knew by 
heart, and told them fairy tales, and stories of 
every description from the many books he had 
read. 

And so the thousands of hours were spent with 
simple natural interests, in a most enjoyable way, 
without a thought of school-books, or anything 
distasteful, compulsory or confining. 

What, in this case, were some of the results? 
One was that the life of their inner feelings was 
developed to an unusual degree. Everything was 
done to encourage them, and nothing to suppress, 
or distort them. The stories and poems made a 
constant appeal to their imagination, while the 
daily letters which they wrote became a means of 
reflecting and applying this appeal. 

A love of beautiful things was naturally de- 
veloped in them, and they naturally conceived a 
fondness for music and painting and modelling 
and poetry and story-telling. There was no pres- 
sure exerted upon them in any of these direc- 
tions — merely the encouragement of spontaneous 
interest and the help of example. 

These tastes and qualities, became the common 
possession of all three girls. They could all write 

295 



HEART AND SOUL 

poetry and stories ; they could all draw and paint 
and model and play tunes on the piano — with more 
or less feeling and facility — and they all grew up 
with remarkably sympathetic and gracious per- 
sonalities — which became, later on, very widely 
admired and commented upon. 

One of the girls, the eldest, conceived a deeper 
liking than the others for music. As time went 
on, she wanted to spend more and more time at 
the piano — playing and practising and learning to 
read the notes. 

The second girl, in a similar way, was more 
attracted to drawing and modelling and painting. 
The youngest one, while the other two were thus 
engaged, liked to sit down with pencil and paper 
and amuse herself in writing rhymes and stories. 

The eldest daughter became a fine musician 
and composer of music, and a brilliant career was 
in sight for her at the time of her death, which 
occurred when she was just out of her teens. 

The second daughter, won for herself a dis- 
tinguished place as a painter, in Paris and in this 
country. 

The youngest one left to her own resources, 
a widow with a little son to support, achieved 
much wealth and fame as a literary celebrity, one 
of the most admired of her generation. 

tet us now refer to some other cases, this time 

296 



HEART AND SOUL 

to boys, where the bringing-up happened to be ac- 
complished without any aid, or interference, of 
school-books or school-teaching. In some in- 
stances this procedure was due to illness and deli- 
cate health on the part of the boy, which made 
fresh air and freedom from confinement seem more 
important than the benefits of mental training. 
In other cases, the parents deliberately believed 
and decided it was better for self-development and 
the formation of character to dispense with what 
they considered the disadvantages of school meth- 
ods. 

As long as a boy does not know how to read, and 
is not taught how, it is the most natural thing in 
the world for him to want somebody to tell — or 
read — to him fairy-tales and verses and stories of 
every kind that he can understand. And this want 
is sure to be supplied, when there are loving 
parents to watch out for it. It may be the mother, 
the nurse, the father, or an aunt, or an uncle, who 
take turns at it. 

Sooner or later, as a result of this, the child 
is very apt to feel a curiosity and interest and 
ambition to learn how to read stories for him- 
self. In the absence of any forcing, the more he 
thinks about it, the more his heart becomes set 
on it. He asks questions about letters and words 
in books — surprises his mother by showing how 

297 



HEAET AND SOUL 

he can print his own name, then her name and 
father's. Little by little, without anybody's teach- 
ing him, almost without any one's realizing it, 
he has learned to read. This might not happen, 
of course, in an unsympathetic atmosphere — if 
there were no story telling, and no story books ly- 
ing about, to bring the inspiration. But as far as 
my experience goes, it has always happened, some- 
where between the ages of eight and ten, if not 
before. 

One boy I know, after learning to read for him- 
self, in this way, in rummaging through the book- 
shelves, came upon a queer little book of Experi- 
mental Chemistry. It was very old and primi- 
tive and had curious wood-cut illustrations in 
it. It had long ago belonged to the boy's grand- 
father. It was easy to read and told about simple 
experiments that any boy could try himself. The 
necessary ingredients for many of them could be 
found at home, or be bought for a few cents at 
the drug-store. It happened to arouse his interest. 

The first experiment described how to take a 
little powdered sugar and mix it with a little pow- 
der obtained by crushing up a tablet of chlorate 
of potash — such as people put in their mouths for 
a sore throat. That would make an explosive, 
as powerful as the powder used in guns. It could 
be set off by dropping on it from an eye-dropper 

298 



HEAET AND SOUL 

one drop of a certain kind of acid, from the 
druggist 's. 

The boy procured the necessary things, then 
ran to his mother, and asked her if he might try 
the experiment. She responded to his enthusiasm 
and only asked permission to stand by and look on. 
He dropped the acid on the powder — and sure 
enough, the powder went off with a big flash. 
Wonderful excitement and joy! The experiment 
had to be repeated again and again, for the amaze- 
ment of the waitress and the cook — and especially 
for father, as soon as he came home. 

That was the beginning of a new interest. The 
boy kept the book by him and pored over it, and 
set his heart upon acquiring first one thing after 
another, as they became necessary. As he accumu- 
lated bottles and glass tubes, and chemicals and 
apparatus, he made shelves and stands for them 
with his carpenter tools. 

In due time, he got other books on the same sub- 
ject and became the possessor of a very practi- 
cal little chemical laboratory, which was all of his 
very own making. At the age of twelve, he was 
thoroughly at home in dozens of complicated 
processes and experiments. 

This was only one of the many interests which 
he had plenty of time to follow, with the same sort 
of enthusiasm. At the age of fourteen, his 

299 



HEAET AND SOUL 

laboratory was a thing of the past, but for all that, 
years after, at college, among his various other 
achievements, he had no trouble in winning a prize 
scholarship in chemistry. 

Another boy, brought up in a similar way and 
having learned to read without teaching, first took 
a lively interest in automobiles. When the family 
car went wrong, he watched the repairs, asked 
questions, and was ready to lend a helping hand. 
Many of the troubles on a modern car are apt to 
be in connection with the electrical equipment — 
battery, lights, magneto, timer, self-starter, etc. 
Sooner or later, a boy who takes an interest, is 
apt to become more or less familiar with the prin- 
ciple of all these things, especially if his nerves 
and brain are not deadened by forced application. 
At any rate, this boy soon did. This led to an 
interest in other electrical things — the ringing of 
bells and buzzers about the house, and the instal- 
lation of an electric motor which would run the 
sewing machine, or a grindstone, or a little lathe. 
Then he got hold of a booklet about wireless 
telegraphy. There is something thrilling about 
the idea which appeals to the imagination — the re- 
ceiving of mysterious messages from afar, through 
the air, and sending back from your little instru- 
ment the far-flying answers. 

At the age of twelve, this boy with the aid of 

300 



HEABT AND SOUL 

a Japanese servant, had set up his own aerial and 
apparatus, had learned the code alphabet and was 
thoroughly familiar with all the delicate intracies 
of detector, tuning coil, sparker and the rest of 
it. He had gotten in touch with certain other 
wireless operators within a radius of ten miles 
and, although he had never seen any of them, he 
could recognize instantly the sound of their dif- 
ferent instruments and it was a joy and delight 
to hold conversations with them and call them up 
for a good-night, before he went to bed. And be- 
fore he was thirteen, he undertook to construct 
with his own hands a tuning coil which would be 
better for his purposes than the kind he could 
afford to buy at the store. After much determined 
effort, he succeeded and installed it and had the 
satisfaction of finding that it was, indeed, de- 
cidedly better. 

Another boy, who had never had to bother his 
head with school-books, but who had also learned 
to read, in due time got started on a new interest 
by a printing-press, which was given to him for 
Christmas. He puzzled with it and worked over 
it, until he learned to set up type and operate it 
very nicely. Then he began printing visiting 
cards — first for himself, then mother and father, 
then the servants and friends. It was great fun 
to take orders from them and charge them ten 

301 



HEAET AND SOUL 

cents a dozen, in a business-like way. Next he 
got a larger press and different kinds of type, and 
by dint of perseverance he found among the 
trades-people a few kindly souls, who allowed him 
to print their business cards for them at so much 
a hundred. 

Out of this interest grew a more ambitious one. 
How fine it would be to print and publish a lit- 
tle newspaper, with stories and verses and ad- 
vertisements and subscriptions and everything! 
This appealed to the imagination and became an 
absorbing ambition. In this particular case, the 
newspaper project soon outdistanced the print- 
ing press. The newspaper must be bigger and 
finer than a press of that kind could possibly man- 
age. So the boy went to a regular printer and 
found out about the cost and details of publishing 
such a paper as he had in mind. He didn't have 
enough money of his own for that, but he figured 
out that by going again to the tradespeople and 
getting them to pay for advertising in his paper 
and by making people pay for subscriptions to the 
paper, the problem could be solved. He decided 
to limit the scope of his enterprise to the publica- 
tion of six numbers, one every month. He went 
to different tradespeople with whom the family 
dealt, stated his intentions, and asked for adver- 
tisements at the rate of fifty cents a number. He 

302 



HEABT AND SOUL 

was only twelve years old at the time and they 
naturally had doubts about his ability to carry out 
the project; but some were found with enough 
kindly sympathy to agree to pay him, when he 
brought them the paper containing the advertise- 
ment. In the same way, among relatives and 
friends and neighbors, he sought subscriptions at 
the rate of five cents a copy and succeeded in ob- 
taining a sufficient number for his purpose. 

He chose a name for his paper by himself but, 
when it came to the question of the reading mat- 
ter, he did not presume to attempt much of that, 
at first, but felt he could do better by appealing 
to his mother and aunt and others for the kind of 
contributions he had in mind. 

He carried out his project, to the letter, — six 
numbers, one a month — and at the end of it, he 
not only had the satisfaction of a fine effort well 
done, but he had also earned a clear profit of over 
fifteen dollars. Likewise, he had helped the growth 
of character, the taste for literary achievement, 
the acquisition of much useful experience and in- 
formation, and considerable mental training of an 
admirable sort. 

I might continue in this way, almost indefinitely, 
telling about the interests and results which may 
come quite naturally to boys and girls freed from 
the routine of school training. 

303 



HEART AND SOUL 

Enough has been said, however, to suggest food 
for thought. With a feeling of interest, or en- 
thusiasm, behind it, almost any kind of mental ex- 
ercise, or physical exercise, takes on the color of 
gladness. Without interest, or enthusiasm, almost 
any kind of compulsory effort becomes drab and 
drear and irksome. The intellect can be a splen- 
did friend to the feelings — it can bring all sorts 
of suggestions to them, and point out their useful- 
ness and their charm — but if, for some reason 
which may be entirely intuitive and fundamental 
and all-wise, the feelings refuse to respond, or to 
cooperate, any further compulsion is apt to prove 
futile and unproductive of the right growth of 
character. 

These are a few of the considerations which led 
to the remark, in connection with our boy, Bob, 
that the question of schools and school education 
is one of the most perplexing and troubling. 

No loving mother is responsible for the existing 
school system, nor could she alter it, if she wanted 
to. Even if she has a little pinch of the heart at 
the thought of subjecting her sensitive boy to such 
an ordeal, how can she dare to do otherwise? 
Among people of all classes, it is considered 
proper and necessary, for children to be sent to 
school. 

But provided a mother has a clear understand- 

304 



HEAET AND SOUL 

ing that her child's feelings and vitality are the 
most important things, it is always possible for 
her to seek some sort of a compromise in his favor. 
She can delay the time of sending him away, nntil 
nine, or ten, or eleven. If he goes to a private 
school, she can very often arrange matters so 
that he need only attend the morning session, 
and never be "kept in," after hours, for punish- 
ment. She can help him with the studies which 
he brings home, and take great pains never to 
scold him, or show displeasure, or disappointment, 
if he gets bad marks. She can explain to him 
that while it is only natural for a school-teacher 
to attach an exaggerated importance to the train- 
ing of the brain, mothers and fathers care a great 
deal more about deeper and finer interests and 
the right kind of conduct. 

That is about all most mothers can do, — no mat- 
ter how great their love — as long as the present 
system remains in force. When, or how, it will 
ever be changed radically, is something about 
which it would be futile to express an opinion. 

Another question which naturally arises in this 
connection has to do with college and the very 
difficult entrance examinations which a modern 
boy is required to pass. How is he to do that, 
unless he is sent to school in time to be prepared? 

305 



HEART AND SOUL 

Many mothers and fathers want their boys to 
have a college education. 

To this objection, there is an easy and reassur- 
ing answer. 

Even if your boy has never seen the inside of 
a school-book, before the age of thirteen or four- 
teen, that need not prevent him from being pre- 
pared for college, just as well and at about the 
same time, as the average boy who has been at- 
tending school from the age of five, or six. 

All of the boys I have referred to, passed their 
examinations far better than the average. All 
those thousands of hours which were devoted to 
other interests, entirely apart from school-books, 
did not have the effect of retarding the boys ' men- 
tal development and training. It was only a dif- 
ferent kind of training, more in accordance with 
the methods of nature. When these boys arrived 
at the age of thirteen, they had more character, 
more self-control, more determination and more 
mental equipment, than the vast majority of boys 
acquire at school. I think it is a fair presump- 
tion, that under favorable conditions, such a re- 
sult may be expected. 

It was the college question that eventually 
brought these boys to preparatory schools, at the 
ages of thirteen, or fourteen. And in order to 
enter a preparatory school and get used to the 

306 



HEAET AND SOUL 

ways of school-books, it may be necessary for 
the boy to do some preliminary studying, for a 
few months, with some one to help him. But by 
that time, he has an object in view, his interest is 
involved, and he will seldom require the slightest 
urging. Without exception, the boys I have re- 
ferred to attained high rank, both in school and 
in college. 

There remains one more thing to think about 
in connection with the bringing up of children. 
What about religion? Here is also a considera- 
tion which can hardly be avoided. 

If the parents are church-goers and still be- 
lieve in the truth and teachings of the Bible, — 
that is one thing. In that case, all a mother has 
to do is to encourage her children in the same be- 
lief, take them to church and Sunday School, and 
teach them to say their prayers from earliest 
childhood. 

But there are also many parents, who no longer 
go to church and whose faith in the traditional 
teachings has become very much shaken. Their 
numbers have been increasing very rapidly, for 
reasons which we have referred to, and are ex- 
tremely likely to keep on increasing. Suppose a 
loving mother belongs to this class — what is best 
and wisest for her to do with her son? 

307 



HEART AND SOUL 

" Mother, where did I come from? And who 
made all these other people? What for?" 

Those are simple and natural questions, which 
are apt to come fairly soon in the growth of in- 
telligence. They call for some sort of answer. It 
is the first beginning of a soul feeling, a groping 
for a faith of some sort in human destiny. 

What is to be mother's answer! 

If she says she doesn't know — nobody does — 
that is very unsatisfactory and very troubling. 
The groping will still continue, with more and 
more persistency. If mother has a reason for 
refusing to tell, the information must be sought 
elsewhere. And it will very soon be forthcoming 
from some one — the nurse, or the cook, or the 
waitress. God made the world — He lives in heaven 
— He rewards people if they are good, by making 
them angels ; and if they are bad, He sends them to 
hell, to be roasted by the devil. The churches, 
which the child has seen, are where people go to 
pray to God and worship Him. 

This answers the question and is perfectly sat- 
isfactory, for the time being. But the attitude of 
mother is apt to give rise to suspicion that she 
was only pretending, when she said she didn't 
know. If the nurse knows — and all the people 
who go to church, know — then mother must know, 
too. Perhaps mother, for reasons of her own, 

308 



HEAET AND SOUL 

doesn't wish him to know yet, and would blame the 
nurse for telling him? Then the nurse would 
blame him. If mother chooses to conceal things 
from him, he can avoid trouble by concealing 
things from mother. This implies a breach of 
confidence between mother and son — which is 
not at all good for a forming character. 

It is far better for mother to show a sympa- 
thetic understanding of the soul need and respond 
to it accordingly. A child has no end of imagina- 
tion, and feelings to correspond. It is the spirit 
and meaning of ideas which signify, and not their 
material accuracy. Rhymes and jingles and 
mother goose and fairy tales and Santa Claus are 
all founded on an understanding of this. They 
supply in fanciful form a very real and neces- 
sary food for the inner nature. In the same way, 
with this religious groping, food that will satisfy 
must be given in some form. 

But as a religious belief is something which it 
is hoped will last through life, it would seem best 
to clothe it, as far as possible, in ideas that will 
not have to be discarded by the intellect, when 
that becomes enlightened. 

Nearly every mother believes that the world 
and all it contains were created, somehow, by an 
all-wise Being — and that this Being has an ever- 
lasting existence somewhere. The usual name for 

309 



HEART AND SOUL 

that Being, in the English language, is God, and 
the unknown plcae where He dwells, is usually 
called heaven. That is something which may be 
told to any child; the idea is easy to grasp, it 
responds to a fundamental need, and it can never 
be disproved by any amount of science, or en- 
lightenment. 

As compared to God, mother and father and 
all people on the earth are like little children, 
and each and every one is allowed to share in 
the benefits of His love and wisdom. He wishes 
all his children to do what they feel is right and 
fine, and fight against what is mean and wrong. 

If some people have less money than others, and 
fewer material pleasures, and in other ways seem 
less fortunate, that does not mean that they are 
less worthy of love and consideration. Nor does 
it mean that they are less fine, or necessarily less 
fortunate. The highest kind of satisfaction in life 
comes almost entirely from being true to your 
own generous feelings and doing the best you 
can under any and all circumstances. A poor little 
cripple may have this satisfaction, just as well as 
a rich man's son. It is very possible that the 
little cripple's spirit and his life on earth, will 
count for more in the eternal scheme, than the* 
rich man's son. Material pleasures are perfectly 
natural and right and desirable ; but they are only 

310 



HEAET AND SOUL 

one part of life. A mother who has a beautiful 
boy and loves him with her whole heart and soul, 
has a more precious treasure than all the money 
in the world can buy. 

Those are also religious beliefs which may be 
told to any boy, or girl, and allowed to take root 
and grow, for all time. They are the expression 
of fundamental feelings which no amount of sci- 
ence can disprove, or deny. 

As regards the question of spoken prayers, we 
come upon considerations of a slightly different 
order. The idea of spoken prayer and the spirit 
which underlies it are beautiful and inspiring. 
The soul of an individual to be in direct, personal 
communication with the all-wise Creator — how 
thrilling and sublime ! It would seem almost the 
deepest and dearest wish that mortal man could 
have. It is also an idea which a child can readily 
grasp and believe and put into practise. 

But certain mothers and fathers, whom I have 
heard talk on this subject, find themselves con- 
fronted by scruples and objections which are en- 
tirely sincere and conscientious. While admitting 
the beauty of the idea, they point to the fact that 
they themselves no longer believe in it, or practise 
it. To their minds, it has become no more than 
the survival of a supersition, which is no longer 
tenable. Under such circumstances, they can see 

311 



HEABT AND SOUL 

no justification for imposing it upon the credulity 
of their children. 

One answer to such an objection is that it is 
always possible for the reason to be at fault in 
matters which involve the unknown. Aside from 
that, there are many worse things for children 
than the survival of a beautiful superstition. The 
same scruples might be applied, without any ele- 
ment of doubt, to the idea of Santa Claus ; but the 
spirit of that belief, while it lasts, is so joyful, and 
its influence so benign, that it would take an ex- 
tremely dry heart and an excessive rule of rea- 
son to desire its abolition. 

CONJECTUKE 

And now, at last, we have reached a point, 
where, in thinking of the future and the hope for 
coming generations, we may turn our gaze in a 
new direction and enter the realm of conjecture 
and prophecy. 

There is an old saying that " Coming events 
cast their shadows before." If we let our thoughts 
dwell on the confused shadows which appear to 
be hanging over the spirit of our present civiliza- 
tion, it is possible to imagine that we can see in 
them the outlines of a coming event of the most 
profound importance. This would be neither 
more, nor less, than the birth of a new religion — 

312 



HEART AND SOUL 

or what amounts to the same thing, a new form 
of religious belief. 

What grounds are there for imagining such an 
absurdity? It is only a conjecture — it could not 
be anything else — but for all that, it is not neces- 
sarily an absurdity. 

The conflict which is going on between the old 
traditional beliefs and the advanced spirit of en- 
lightenment has in it elements of contradiction, 
too deep and too radical, to permit of a complete 
victory on the part of either. If the struggle were 
to continue indefinitely, on the present lines, it 
seems inevitable that countless numbers must be 
found, on one extreme, who would never be will- 
ing to abandon their faith; and, on the other ex- 
treme, would be countless numbers who could 
never consent to a return to what they consider 
disproved and antiquated superstitions. And 
somewhere between these two, will be a con- 
stantly increasing mass of others, pushed and 
pulled in opposite directions, half-pretending 
agreement with both sides, but without real loy- 
alty to either, trying in a more or less troubled 
way, to remain non-committal, and arriving at 
a state of indifference, drifting along, without 
leadership, or conviction. 

If we may believe the testimony of observers in 
England, this condition of affairs is already quite 

313 



HEABT AND SOUL 

plainly indicated there — as much or more, as it is 
in this country. 

Such a situation is well nigh intolerable to hu- 
manity. The palpable results of it can hardly 
fail to be disheartening to any normal being. And 
out of this disheartenment will inevitably come a 
yearning, more or less unconscious, but more and 
more appealing, for something different and some- 
thing better, a yearning for true and unquestion- 
able leadership, which can inflame the imagina- 
tion, inspire new faith, and command whole-souled 
devotion, as it points the way. 

In the mysterious scheme of the universe, in the 
all-wise design, when such a yearning becomes in- 
tense enough and widespread enough, I cannot 
but believe that somehow, somewhere, out of a 
tenement, or out of a palace, or out of the wilder- 
ness, will come the appointed leader. This is the 
fateful event of my conjecture, which I imagine 
is casting its shadow before, and which may bring 
a renewal of light and enthusiasm to millions of 
troubled souls. 

It may not come for a generation, or it may 
not come in a century, or it may be close at hand. 
What the particular form and force of the new 
inspiration will be like, is beyond the scope of the 
imagination. 

But it is not so difficult to hazard a prophecy in 

314 



HEAET AND SOUL 

regard to its essence. There will be no claim, or 
creed, of any kind, to which scientific information, 
or enlightened reason, can ever find ground to 
take exception. It will not belittle admiration for 
the human body, or the human brain, or even of 
pleasures and desires which may be purely ma- 
terial; but, on the contrary, will encourage the 
development of them all, as a relatively important 
part of the all-wise design. Above and beyond 
these, will be a deeper and greater appeal to the 
most generous and noble intuitions of the heart 
and soul. There will be very little consideration 
for punishments, or rewards, or threats, or anger, 
— to force the human soul into submission of any 
kind ; but there will be immense consideration for 
love of others and love of right, individual re- 
sponsibility and self-control. Pervading and illu- 
minating all, will be a blessed faith in the beauty 
and wisdom and purpose of the eternal mystery. 

And whenever, or wherever, this kind of ideal 
comes, and rings out through the land, with com- 
pelling inspiration, I venture the prophecy that 
the prevailing spirit of civilization will be ripe 
and ready to receive it with open arms. 



315 



APPENDIX 

Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 1921. 

CKIMINAL IMPKOPBIETY 

We had supposed that the decadence obvious in 
the sartorial modes for society women reached 
its limit last year and that a saner and more 
decent sense of propriety would evince itself in 
the revulsion of public taste. But the tendency to 
bizarre indecency has increased so that now we 
are offered in our public ballrooms the spectacle 
of criminal impropriety — of women's bare legs 
with painted knees, of naked backs and lewdly 
veiled bosoms, of transparent skirts and sugges- 
tive nudity, of decorated flesh and vulgar exposure 
generally — the sort of thing that has ever pre- 
ceded the downfall of civilizations. It has no re- 
lation whatever to the nudity of innocence, as is 
perfectly obvious with one glance at the type of 
dancing women that affects these disgusting ex- 
tremes, for their whole deportment is entirely 
in accord with their scant covering and nastily 
conceived exposures. They are brazenly inviting 

317 



APPENDIX 

a certain kind of attention and they get only the 
sort of attention they invite. They are degrading 
all womanhood with their shamelessness, at a time 
when the more worthy of their sex have striven 
to win and deserve to win that respect which 
should rightfully be theirs. 

The people are all overwhelmed by the appall- 
ing crime wave that has beset the world — not only 
by murders, robberies and hold-ups, but by the 
ghastly increase in marital unfaithfulness which 
clogs the divorce courts; and the attacks against 
women and girls which have become a daily de- 
partment of the news. The incredible and loath- 
some conditions cannot be overstated. They are 
widespread, staggering in their viciousness. And 
we unhesitatingly declare that the preposterous 
vulgarity and criminal impropriety of that vastly 
increasing number of women who adopt these in- 
decent modes for "party gowns' ' is, if not respon- 
sible for the dirty conditions, at least a large and 
important factor. And it is deplorable that, as the 
extremists jump from extreme to extreme, the 
presumably decent women follow. They are 
slower to adopt the full measure of indecency, but 
each season finds them "conservatively" follow- 
ing at a respectful distance, so that the modes for 
decent women to-day were the extremes of in- 
decency a few short seasons back. 

318 



APPENDIX 

Why do they do it? It is a poor explanation to 
declare that they thus become more attractive to 
men. If they are honest with themselves, they 
know very well that the sort of attraction thus en- 
gendered makes the lowest possible appeal. If 
they are honest with themselves, they know very 
well that masculine taste in such matters is abso- 
solutely in the hands of women, that the standard 
they set is the standard which will inevitably be 
adopted. It has been said that every country gets 
the women it deserves, but rather would we say 
that every woman gets the sort of attention she 
deserves. Intelligent women know this, no matter 
what their argument to the contrary. 

But the women, who are going to these dis- 
gusting and revolting extremes, are not intelligent. 
Man may be vile, but he also has perception. Ob- 
serve the women in any public ballroom to-day — 
those who expose the most have the least worthy 
of exposure. These lewd revelations are cer- 
tainly not in the cause of beauty. It is the fat 
and podgy, or the lean and bony, female, for the 
most part, one who has neither natural physical 
nor mental attraction, that resorts to this means of 
commanding attention. She makes one appeal, and 
only one, and that to the very lowest instincts of 
masculine human nature. No matter how she may 
deceive herself to the contrary, she is deliberately 

319 



APPENDIX 

catering to the animal passion of men. Beautiful 
and charming women of mind and character do 
not feel this urge to trade npon their "private 
charms.' ' But the unintelligent and dubious fe- 
male is invariably the one to make a bid for the 
only sort of attention she can hope to inspire. 

Theodore Maynard, now lecturing before the 
women's clubs upon the "Imminent Break-up of 
Civilization," defines civilization as that condi- 
tion of a people founded upon justice and honor. 
It is not a question of brilliant inventions, of 
motor cars, telephones, magnificent hotels, lux- 
ury and comfort. It is essentially a state of 
refinement, culture and honor. 

"I could not love thee, dear, so well, loved I 
not honor more." 

That honor which is the very basis of civili- 
zation is essentially chaste. And civilized women 
must be the essential guardians of chastity and 
honor. Where women cater to the dishonorable 
and unchaste, there can be no civilization, no 
sanctity of the home, which should be the very 
citadel of honor. 

Adam in Eden whined that Eve had demoral- 
ized him. Eve to-day whines that Adam and his 
war have demoralized her. They are both wrong 
and both culpable. And as in the old biblical 
story, God will hold both Adam and Eve respon- 

320 



APPENDIX 

sible and both shall be driven from the Garden 
of Eden, our great modern civilization that is 
gaining all save honor, that keystone of the arch 
without which it must fall to ruin. 

And the modern unchastity of women's clothes, 
the crude, lewd, wholly indefensible appeal to 
man's lowest instincts, the deliberate trading on 
the unclean and the lustful side of human nature, 
is, we repeat, a basic cause of that widespread 
dishonor and crime that are polluting civilization 
to-day. Surely there are enough decent, intelli- 
gent, noble-minded women left to halt this mad 
craze for criminal impropriety. Surely they can 
and will take the lead for purity, decency and 
honor, rather than be content to follow at long 
distance that road which leads to nothing but 
degradation for all humanity. Women and only 
women, can halt this mad delirium — this hideous 
craving for attention at any cost, at all cost. 
Where can it end, except in utter degradation, not 
only for their own sex, but for their husbands 
and their sons? 

This utter debasement of that precious heritage 
called "love" is the bitterest possible reflection 
upon our modern civilization. The sort of at- 
traction these unchaste, nakedly adorned, women 
"of fashion' ' hold out can never inspire that 
precious, priceless thing which "passeth all un- 

321 



APPENDIX 

derstanding, ' ' which survives all the travail of 
tribulation, that beautiful emotion that "age can- 
not wither nor custom stale," which radiates the 
dark places with shining light. 

"Oh, woman, lovely woman! nature made thee 
To temper man ; we had been brutes without you ; 
There's in you all that we believe of heaven 
Amazing brightness, purity and truth, 
Eternal joy and everlasting love." 



Los Angeles Times, Dec. 17, 1920. 

The financial and business summary for Decem- 
ber, issued by the Citizens ' National Bank, will be 
circulated to-day. This careful review of general 
conditions classes business as unsatisfactory from 
the standpoint of current activity, but hastens to 
explain that data supporting this conclusion is on 
the surface, and then, arguing from the human 
standpoint, says that there is greater need just 
now that we determine when the tendency to can- 
cel contracts, and otherwise strike the element of 
integrity from our business relations, will cease, 
than there is that we know when commodity prices 
will reach the bottom. 

"To-day," the summary continues, "we are 
registering a very low point of commercial mor- 
ality, and as we approach the portals of a new 
year, a year full of promise and plenty, there is a 

322 



APPENDIX 

great need of a full individual sense of our per- 
sonal relations to one another. 

" It is not a struggling that is tearing apart the 
commercial, social and home circles of to-day ; in- 
stead, it is the lack of struggle, a missing ambition 
to stamp out the measure of selfishness that has 
been permitted to breed in the human conscious- 
ness. Our growth during the coming years, both 
as individual business concerns, as a nation, and 
as a race, will be in a direct ratio to our re- 
establishment of individual and mass integrity. 

' * The weakness of the bond market is merely an 
affair of permanence. It seems to be purely a 
seller's market with the cause of the selling tempo- 
rarily prohibitive to reinvestment. The income 
tax has caused a new seasonal liquidation period 
to be written into the category of investment in- 
fluences so that the present bond market, though 
definitely in a major trend upward, still hangs 
down around bargain levels. 

"Possibly some sympathetic bear influence is 
reflected into the present bond market through 
the sharp breaks in the stock market, yet whatever 
may be the cause of present low bond prices and 
dull activity, it is certain that the underlying 
fundamentals in control of the investment situa- 
tion are favorable to a long swing upward, with 
the course to higher levels graded and fit for 

323 



APPENDIX 

rapid travel when the turn of the year re-energizes 
the sinews of finance. ' ' 



The protest against the present " blue-laws' ' is 
strong and the laws under fire are branded as the 
limit of legislative meddling, but here are some of 
the old laws that were really blue : 

These laws once were in force in Connecticut: 

No one shall run on the Sabbath day, or walk in 
his garden or elsewhere, except reverently to 
and from meeting. 

No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, 
sweep house, cut hair, or shave on the Sabbath 
day. 

No woman shall kiss her child on the Sabbath or 
fasting day. 

The Sabbath shall begin at sunset on Saturday. 

Whoever brings cards or dice into this domin- 
ion shall pay a fine of five pounds. 

No one shall read common prayer, keep 
Christmas or Saints' days, make mince pies, 
dance, play cards or play on any instrument of 
music except the drum, trumpet and Jew's harp. 

No gospel minister shall join people in mar- 
riage ; the magistrates only shall join in marriage, 
as they may do it with less scandal to Christ's 
church. 

324 



APPENDIX 

A man that strikes his wife shall pay a fine of 
ten pounds; a woman that strikes her husband 
shall be punished as the court directs. 

A wife shall be deemed good evidence against 
her husband. 

No man shall court a maid in person, or by 
letter, without first obtaining consent of her par- 
ents; five pounds penalty for the first offense to 
imprisonment for the third offense. 

Married persons must live together or be im- 
prisoned. 

Every male person shall have his hair cut round 
according to a cap. 

A child over sixteen years old who strikes his 
father shall be put to death. 

A child over sixteen years old who is stubborn 
and rebellious shall be put to death. 

Whoever, professing the Christian religion, 
shall wittingly deny the Song of Solomon to be 
the infallible word of God, may be whipped forty 
lashes and fined fifty pounds. 

Whoever marries two wives or more shall be 
executed. 

Saying that the Chrsitian religion is a politic 
device to keep ignorant men in awe shall be pun- 
ished with death. 

Any man who uses tobacco in the street shall 
be fined, or if he do so in his own house, a stranger 

325 



APPENDIX 

being present, he shall be fined, but if on a journey, 
five miles from any house, he may smoke. 

Any single person without a servant, wishing to 
keep house by himself, must get the consent of the 
selectmen unless he be a public officer. 

Persons not proved guilty, but lying under a 
strong suspicion of guilt, may be punished, though 
not so severely as would be the case had they been 
convicted. \ 

Every family must have a Bible, catechism and 
other good books. 



Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 1921. 

CKOOKED MINDS 

The prompt detection and punishment of the 
two kidnappers, who were fools enough to believe 
that they could carry out a melodramatic abduc- 
tion and get away with it, is a satisfaction to 
the public. But it does not remove the possibility 
of similar crimes, attempted and perhaps exe- 
cuted, by the large class of individuals who, like 
the Carrs, have crooked minds — minds that see 
only glamour and excitement in the life of a crim- 
inal, that are willing to take any chance and 
gamble with their own lives and liberty as the 
stakes, for revenge or merely to get money to 
satisfy their physical demands. 

326 



APPENDIX 

Ten years, more or less, spent in the peniten- 
tiary is not likely to straighten ont the false con- 
ceptions of snch men. The Carrs will probably 
leave the prison with criminal tendencies strength- 
ened by the associations and repressions of peni- 
tentiary life. 

It is just that such criminals should be put 
where they cannot prey upon society. But, while 
we are dealing out due punishment, the main 
effort of the social body should be put into the 
prevention of crime. We are talking greatly, just 
now, of the world- wave of crime following the war. 
Tomes are being written concerning its causes 
and its cures. But the primary cause of all crime 
is the lack of true comprehension of the meaning 
of life — a distorted viewpoint — a crooked mind. 

The causes of such minds are many: heredity, 
environment, associations, lack of proper self- 
control and understanding; they can all be sum- 
med up, however, as the lack of moral sense in 
the individual and in the race. The guiding star 
of existence, the conscience, in such cases, has 
ceased to function ; the goal ahead, a future exist- 
ence, has been lost sight of. Souls are adrift. 
Here is the secret of the unrest, the crime, the up- 
heaval of to-day. 

The old forms of religion, with their rituals and 
professions, have lost their hold upon a large por- 

327 



APPENDIX 

tion of humanity. The newer and clearer concep- 
tions of the great truths that are the basis of 
all religion have not, as yet, taken the place of the 
old beliefs in the minds and lives of the majority. 
The people of the world are to-day at sea, with 
no definite port ahead, with no guiding hand upon 
the helm of their ship. 

In the chaos of this rudderless age state and 
church are making desperate efforts to palliate 
the evils of nonreligion and its consequence, non- 
morality. In our own country we are multiplying 
state-provided nurseries, schools, playgrounds, 
gymnasiums, colleges and hundreds of other sub- 
stitutes for the homes and the home training that 
fails under the strenuous tests of present-day life. 
We are enormously attempting to train bodies and 
brains from the cradle to full citizenship. But 
with all our provisions and equipment we are fail- 
ing to touch the real keystone of all character — 
the spiritual nature of man. We are teaching 
morality because it is morality, proved by experi- 
ence to be expedient, on the whole, for a satisfac- 
tory career on the earth. But our schools and our 
churches, also, are failing to teach the highest 
secret of life — the self-control of mind and body 
through willed righteousness, based upon a knowl- 
edge and comprehension of a Grod-created and 
governed universe. 

328 



APPENDIX 

Nor do our schools and colleges train their 
pupils to an understanding of their own mental 
powers and the development of right will, of sound 
reason, of controlled and regulated action. We 
flood our children and youth with equipment, with 
teachers, with opportunity for learning things 
from the outside; yet our educational training is 
failing, as a whole, in giving to the youth of this 
country the one essential thing for right living — 
a true and high ideal and the strength of will to 
attain it. 

Men like the two just sent away; women like 
Mrs. Peete (whether she be guilty of murder or 
not) are the products of a generation that has torn 
itself away from its old anchors of religion, of 
duty and responsibility and has not yet set up a 
new standard to true its conduct. State and 
church, with all their will to do and their efforts, 
and expenditure of means, can never take the 
place of right-minded parents and homes where 
children are taught by example and byword their 
true relations to God and to their fellow-men. 
Crooked minds can only be prevented by heritage 
from men and women, who understand their re- 
sponsibility to God and to their country, and who 
start their sons and daughters out upon the jour- 
ney of life with a chance, at least, for decency and 
uprightness. 

329 



APPENDIX 

New York Tribune, April 22, 1921. 

MACAULAY ON AMEKICA 



"Your Constitution Is All Sail and No Anchor" 

The subjoined letter from the historian Macaulay to Henry 
S. Randall, of Cortland, N. Y., is taken from an old file of 
The Cortland Standard. It was published originally in 
Harper's Magazine. 

Holly Lodge, Kensington, 
London, May 23, 1857. 

Dear Sir: The four volumes of the Colonial 
History of New York reached me safely. I assure 
you that I shall value them highly. They contain 
much to interest an English as well as an Ameri- 
can reader. Pray accept my thanks and convey 
them to the Regents of the University. 

You are surprised to learn that I have not a 
high opinion of Mr. Jefferson, and I am surprised 
at your surprise. I am certain that I never wrote 
a line, and that I never, in Parliament, in conver- 
sation, or even on the hustings— a place where it 
is the fashion to court the populace — uttered a 
word indicating an opinion that the supreme au- 
thority in a state ought to be intrusted to the ma- 
jority of citizens told by the head ; in other words, 
to the poorest and most ignorant part of society. 

I have long been convinced that institutions 

330 



APPENDIX 

purely democratic must, sooner or later, destroy 
liberty or civilization or both. In Europe, where 
the population is dense, the effect of such institu- 
tions would be almost instantaneous. What hap- 
pened lately in France is an example. In 1848 a 
pure democracy was established there. During a 
short time there was reason to expect a general 
spoliation, a national bankruptcy, a new partition 
of the soil, a maximum of prices, a ruinous load 
of taxation laid on the rich for the purpose of 
supporting the poor in idleness. 

Such a system would, in twenty years, have 
made France as poor and barbarous as the France 
of the Carlovingians. Happily the danger was 
averted; and now there is a despotism, a silent 
tribune, an enslaved press. Liberty is gone, but 
civilization has been saved. 

I have not the smallest doubt that if we had a 
purely democratic government here the effect 
would be the same. Either the poor would plun- 
der the rich and civilization would perish, or 
order and prosperity would be saved by a strong 
military government, and liberty would perish. 

You may think that your country enjoys an ex- 
emption from these evils. I will frankly own to 
you that I am of a very different opinion. Your 
fate I believe to be certain, though it is deferred 
by a physical cause. As long as you have a bound- 

331 



APPENDIX 

less extent of fertile and unoccupied land your 
laboring population will be far more at ease than 
the laboring population of the Old World, and 
while that is the case the Jeffersonian politics may 
continue to exist without causing any fatal 
calamity. • 

But the time will come when New England will 
be as thickly peopled as old England. Wages will 
be as low and will fluctuate as much with you as 
with us. You will have your Manchesters and 
Birminghams, and in those Manchesters and Bir- 
minghams hundreds of thousands of artisans will 
assuredly be sometimes out of work. Then your 
institutions will be fairly brought to the test. Dis- 
tress everywhere makes the laborer mutinous and 
discontented, and inclines him to listen with eager- 
ness to agitators who tell him that it is a mon- 
strous iniquity that one man should have a million 
while another cannot get a full meal. 

In bad years there is plenty of grumbling here, 
and sometimes a little rioting. But it matters 
little. For here the sufferers are not the rulers. 
The supreme power is in the hands of a class, 
numerous indeed, but select ; of an educated class ; 
of a class which is, and knows itself to be, deeply 
interested in the security of property and the 
maintenance of order. Accordingly, the malcon- 
tents are firmly yet gently restrained. The bad 

332 



APPENDIX 

time is got over without robbing the wealthy to 
relieve the indigent. The springs of national 
prosperity soon begin to flow again; work is plen- 
tiful, wages rise and all is tranquillity and cheer- 
fulness. I have seen England pass three or four 
times through such critical seasons as I have de- 
scribed. 

Through such seasons the United States will 
have to pass in the course of the next century, if 
not this. How will you pass through them? I 
heartily wish you a good deliverance. But my 
reason and my wishes are at war and I cannot 
help foreboding the worst. It is quite plan that 
your government will never be able to restrain a 
distressed and discontented majority. For with 
you the majority is the government, and has the 
rich, who are always a minority, absolutely at its 
mercy. 

The day will come when in the State of New 
York a multitude of people, none of whom has had 
more than half a breakfast, or expects to have 
more than half a dinner, will choose a legislature. 
Is it possible to doubt what sort of a legislature 
will be chosen? On one side is a statesman preach- 
ing patience, respect for vested rights, strict ob- 
servance of public faith. On the other is a dema- 
gogue ranting about the tyranny of capitalists 
and usurers and asking why anybody should be 

333 



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permitted to drink champagne and to ride in a 
carriage while thousands of honest folks are in 
want of necessaries. Which of the two candidates 
are likely to be preferred by a workingman who 
hears his children cry for more bread? 

I seriously apprehend that you will, in some 
such seasons of adversity as I have described, do 
things which will prevent prosperity from return- 
ing; that you will act like people who should in 
a year of scarcity devour all the seed corn and 
thus make the next year not of scarcity, but of 
absolute famine. There will be, I fear, spoliation. 
The spoliation will increase the distress. The 
distress will produce fresh spoliation. 

There is nothing to stop you. Your Constitu- 
tion is all sail and no anchor. As I said before, 
when a society has entered on this downward 
progress, either civilization or liberty must perish. 
Either some Caesar or Napoleon will seize the 
reins of government with a strong hand, or your 
republic will be as fearfully plundered and laid 
waste by barbarians in the twentieth century as 
the Soman Empire was in the fifth, with this 
difference, that the Huns and vandals who ravaged 
the Eoman Empire came from without, and that 
your Huns and vandals will have been engendered 
within your own country by your own institutions. 

334 



APPENDIX 

I have the honor to be, dear sir, your faithful 
servant, T. B. Macaulay. 
H. S. Kandall, Esq., etc., etc., etc. 



A FOOL S PAKADISE 

Radical propagandists, with a sublime disre- 
gard for facts and history, persist in extolling the 
tenets of Russian Communism as new discoveries 
in the art of government. They assert that the 
Bolshevists have solved for the first time in his- 
tory the problem of social equality. They say the 
experiment of the ' ' dictatorship of the prole- 
tariat' ' has never before been attempted and that 
it fails to find favor outside Russia because peo- 
ples are always prone to condemn what they do 
not understand. 

Russia, however, is but the last of many coun- 
tries to rebel against its own prosperity. Dur- 
ing the twenty years preceding the World War 
Russia enjoyed the greatest growth and develop- 
ment, both of its resources and education, in the 
history of the country. Two-thirds of the agri- 
cutural land in the nation was owned and occupied 
by the farming classes, which comprised nearly 
three-fourths of the population. In ten years the 
number of depositors in the savings banks of Rus- 

335 



APPENDIX 

sia had doubled and the gross amount of the de- 
posits had quadrupled. 

Then came the war, to be followed by Bolshe- 
vism. The experience of Eussia in the last two 
years, however, is not unique in the history of na- 
tions. The narration of the spoliation of the rich, 
the confiscation of the estates and the profligate 
waste of the national substance is only a repeti- 
tion, almost verse for verse and line for line, of 
the license and the abuses of the last years of the 
Athenian democracy. It was then demonstrated 
that the impoverishing of the rich could not enrich 
the poor, and that a state without wealth will soon 
be a state without liberty. In the idiom of the 
gallery gods, it is all ' ' old stuff. ' ' 

The Charmides of Xenophon's '"Banquet" cele- 
brates the pleasures and profits of poverty. He 
once possessed a fortune that made him fear 
thieves and sycophants — in reality the same 
thing — Athens had levied heavy taxes on the rich 
and had passed laws making it a capital offense 
for a person of wealth to attempt to flee the state. 
The money raised by thus taxing the wealthy was 
distributed to the poor in the public places. Any 
one holding a certificate showing that he had not 
sufficient wealth to be taxed was admitted free to 
the theaters and was entitled to one meal a day 
at restaurants supported by the state. 

336 



APPENDIX 

The people's council, fearful that there might 
be a disposition to stop this waste of public 
money, passed acts which decreed capital punish- 
ment to any orator who should propose to modify 
the laws which made "poverty a blessing." 

Charmides recounts that he once lived in a state 
of perpetual terror. New taxes were decreed 
every day, each of which he was compelled to pay. 
He was deprived of the liberty even of leaving 
the state. His lot was worse than that of the 
meanest slave. 

Behold! a fertile imagination came to his res- 
cue. He embarked in a speculation in which 
failure was inevitable. Good fortune attended him. 
Within a brief time he was penniless and happy. 
The unfortunate speculator who had gained 
possession of the wealth of Charmides lived for a 
brief time in the agony of wealth; then he at- 
tempted to flee the state, was apprehended and 
executed. 

Charmides makes votive offerings to the gods 
of Athens for his escape from the terror and serv- 
itude of property. "How comfortably I sleep !" 
he cries. l ' The republic has confidence in me. I 
am no longer threatened. It is I who threaten 
others. A free man, I can go or stay. I appear at 
the theater. I am admitted free. The rich rise 
in trembling and offer me the best seats. When 

337 



APPENDIX 

I walk abroad in the streets they stand aside to 
offer me an unobstructed passage. To-day I re- 
semble a tyrant. Then I was a slave. Then I 
paid tribute to the state. Now the state, my 
tributary, supports me. I lose nothing; for I have 
nothing. ' ' 

For a time democratic Athens was a veritable 
Bolshevist paradise. But when the ranks of the 
rich became depleted, when none cared longer 
to engage in any profitable industry, the public 
revenue fell until there was no money to support 
the happy idlers. The rich were tortured in the 
vain hope that they would produce hidden treas- 
ure; but the public treasury remained empty. 

This period of riotous profligacy followed the 
happy conclusion for Athens of the Theban war. 
When the Athenian proletariat discovered that 
the state was about to pass under the yoke of 
Philip they hunted down the remnant of the 
wealthy class that still remained, executed some, 
banished others and sold still others into slavery 
for "betraying the Athenian state and leaving it 
helpless before its enemies.' ' 

Shortly afterwards Athens came under the 
despotism of Philip, who speedily conscripted this 
proletariat for forced labor. For a hundred years 
afterwards, however, Athenian writers in bewail- 
ing their loss of liberty blamed the fall of Athens 

338 



APPENDIX 

upon the "rich," who failed to arm and equip a 
force to fight Philip. 

All the wisdom of her philosophers, all the art 
and learning whose loss the world still mourns, fell 
before the onslaught of this triumphant democ- 
racy. The culture of the few could not prevail 
against the greed of the many. Domestic condi- 
tions became so intolerable that a majority of the 
Athenians welcomed the stern but salutary rule 
of the tyrant. For they had learned that the 
tyranny of a despot is easier to be borne than 
that of universal poverty. 

One does not have to interrogate the future to 
learn whither Eussia under Bolshevism is tend- 
ing; one has but to look to the past. Like causes 
cannot produce unlike effects. Under given con- 
ditions national eclipses can be predicted as surely 
as the eclipses of the planets. 



Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1921. 

napoleon's centennial 

The hundredth anniversary of the passing of 
Napoleon centers attention anew on one of the 
baffling figures of all time — a man at once attrac- 
tive and repulsive; a soldier of infinite courage 
who on at least one occasion acted the coward; a 

339 



APPENDIX 

master strategist who, to the last, seemed never 
to fully grasp that strategy by which he almost 
recast a world. 

He found Europe feudal and left it modern. He 
opened up new realms of knowledge to the serv- 
ants; revolutionized military tactics; founded 
lasting industries; gave a new birth to French 
law; mocked and yet fostered freedom. 

More volumes have been written regarding him 
than any other character in history — one excepted. 
Nevertheless, he still remains the most elusive, 
the most unsatisfying genius that the world has 
ever known. 

His accomplishments have by this time been 
fully set forth and properly valued. We know 
that he stands practically alone as the greatest 
strategist of the ages. Cromwell, on a smaller 
scale and within a far more limited sphere, more 
nearly approaches him, perhaps, than does any 
other. 

We know also that he was an adroit politician 
and a statesman on a scale rarely equalled in 
Europe. He was also an orator and an adept at 
coining phrases. He was an executive of immense 
power and a man of tremendous personal charm. 

Of course, he was relentless, cruel, unscrupu- 
lous and all the rest of it, as we have been so often 
told. But, praise and blame aside, the question of 

340 



APPENDIX 

the source of his power still remains the impor- 
tant thing. 

Certainly he was not great because he was a 
brilliant student, for, all in all, he was not deeply 
read. It could hardly be claimed that he was of 
the electric, assimilative type, for he would listen 
to no one and held opinions of others in contempt. 
He was not even a strong reasoner as the term 
is generally used. 

Wherein, then, lay that genius which makes him 
the outstanding Frenchman and one of the su- 
preme personages of history! Apparently he was 
pre-eminent because, more than almost any man 
who ever lived, he had the power of harnessing 
his intuitive processes to his practical problems. 

He, it seems, was able to tap that vast, hidden 
and unsung reservoir of knowledge which is the 
epitome of all that the human mind has grasped 
and which, though flowing through the subcon- 
scious mind of all, is available in its entirety to 
but few — and then in all too brief flashes. 

The theory of the quality of the human mind, 
with its every-day, jerky reasoning powers and 
its submerged, smooth intuitions, finds its strong- 
est support in such an individual. 

The subliminal mind, psychologists tell us, 
reaches out into daily life when the normal intel- 
ligence is in abeyance — as in sleep or profound re- 

341 



APPENDIX 

laxation. This subliminal (below the threshold) 
mind is swifter than the conscious mind and over- 
reaches it in a flash. It is practically unerring. It 
is controlled by laws not yet grasped to any great 
extent. It is hidden from life, yet rules it. 

Mystics have the gift, in varying degree, of al- 
lowing their subconscious minds to engulf and en- 
fold them. The real poets have written in words 
that live because, unknowingly, they have fallen 
back on and given expression to the accumulated 
hopes and visions of the mind of man. The 
prophets have simply been those with the power 
to make their instincts vocal. Genius, in all its 
phases, is seemingly but the measure of the extent 
to which men coordinate their two minds, their 
instinct and their reason. 

Napoleon, in practically every crisis in which 
he functioned, struck those about him as being 
in a dazed and unnatural condition. He had those 
same periods of semi-stupefaction that character- 
ized Caesar, Paul, Alexander, Goethe, Lincoln and 
other exceptional men at the time of or imme- 
diately following a terrific use of their mental 
machinery. 

What, then, if, in the final analysis, it should be 
shown that Napoleon's greatness lay in the fact 
that he did not take his own mind or any other 
man's mind too seriously? 

342 






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